Visa has announced the appointment of Tareq Muhmood as its new Regional President for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA). In his new role, Muhmood will oversee operations across 86 diverse and fast-growing markets, with a strategic focus on accelerating digital payment adoption. He will lead a regional team spanning 23 offices and serving over 1,800 clients.
Effective immediately, Muhmood will be based in Dubai and report directly to Oliver Jenkyn, Group President of Global Markets at Visa.
“We are delighted to appoint a leader with Tareq’s deep experience at the intersection of financial services, technology, and high-growth markets to lead Visa’s fastest-growing region,” said Jenkyn. “He will continue our journey to advance the future of digital payments across CEMEA.”
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Muhmood takes over from Andrew Torre, who now leads Visa’s Value-Added Services (VAS) division. Under Torre’s leadership, the VAS unit has evolved into a $9 billion global business, delivering annualized revenue growth of 20% since 2021.
Before this appointment, Muhmood served as Senior Vice President for Value-Added Services in Europe, based in London. He originally joined Visa in 2019 as Group Country Manager for Regional Southeast Asia, overseeing operations in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia. Prior to joining Visa, he held senior leadership roles at Ahli United Bank, ANZ, and HSBC, where he gained extensive experience across corporate, institutional, and retail banking, as well as strategic leadership.
Over his 30-year career, Muhmood has worked in 13 countries and served as CEO in five different markets. His global perspective and proven ability to navigate complex, high-growth environments have positioned him as a strategic asset in driving Visa’s continued expansion.
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“It is a great honor to lead the CEMEA region and to continue building on the remarkable progress made in transforming the future of payments, commerce, and money movement,” said Muhmood. “Having spent more than a third of my career in this region, I’m excited by the opportunity to further expand digital payments for consumers, merchants, and economies. I look forward to working with our exceptional team to drive shared growth with our clients and partners.”
Outside of his professional life, Muhmood is a frequent traveler, a qualified interior designer, and a proud father of two sons and a daughter.
