Senior Vice President, Group Country Manager, Nordics & Baltics

Company Description

Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale — tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world. Join Visa and do work that matters — to you, to your community, and to the world.

Progress starts with you.

Job Description

Role Overview

The Group Country Manager (GCM) will have end to end leadership accountability for the growth of Visa’s business across the Nordics and Baltics cluster. The GCM will lead a cross-functional leadership team to identify and drive market initiatives and strategies within the cluster that aid Visa Europe’s accelerated growth. The role will report to the Regional President of the Visa Europe Region.

The Nordics & Baltics cluster comprises 8 markets – Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania - all at different stages of digital payments adoption. This leader will lead a diverse, multi-market team that tailors Visa’s global strategy to the region’s unique political, regulatory, and commercial context.

The role will drive engagement with all stakeholders within Visa’s ecosystem, bringing commercial judgement, influence, and rigor to grow Visa’s position in the cluster, while also leading on some pan-European initiatives. The GCM will operate at C-Suite level with clients and lead key strategic market and technology developments. This role requires a strong results focus and growth mindset, setting clear outcomes and relentlessly executing to exceed ambitious commercial and client-impact goals. Operate with high energy and speed, mobilising cross‑functional teams to remove roadblocks and accelerate delivery. Be deeply client-centric, co-creating solutions, champion market leading innovation, and deliver measurable value.

The successful individual will be an authentic, inspiring, and courageous leader, unwavering in their passion to drive growth and harness the capabilities and assets at Visa - the brand, our products, and our people.

Key Responsibilities 

• Work closely with the Europe Regional President and the Europe Leadership Team to shape and execute the wider regional strategy, driving significant growth to reach aspirations of 2030 strategy.
• Design and execute the strategic growth plan for the cluster as part of the broader Europe growth strategy.
• Lead the business to deliver ambitious growth and continued financial performance.
• Influence at a senior level with all clients as a trusted advisor and true partner- a thought leader who is curious and understands our clients’ business, growth goals, challenges, and strategic objectives.
• Expand and utilize a network at the most senior level within key client organizations and the market, seeking common opportunities for growth.
• Provide inspirational leadership to the cluster by continuing to build, develop and lead a high performing and diverse team. Be a talent ambassador by driving talent development in the region and sponsoring Visa’s employer brand activity in the Nordics & Baltics cluster and broader Europe market.
• Represent Visa externally on a regular basis through interactions with key clients, the press, domestic regulators, government agencies, consumers, merchants and the broader fintech - emerging digital ecosystem.
• Work with the cluster Client Council to ensure a robust approach to decision making in the payments ecosystem, leveraging insight and analysis from the Client Council and keeping pace with the regulatory agenda.
• Oversight and collaboration across all business verticals that are linked to Nordics & Baltics.  

Qualifications

Ideal Qualifications

• Deep commercial experience, including significant experience in an executive leadership role within the broader payments industry or adjacent sectors where technology features strongly in the ecosystem.
• Leadership of an enterprise or the commercial functions of a business where the development and deployment of the digital and customer agenda is a key driver of success.
• P&L experience required. Growing a business in a high-growth - fast-paced environment would be advantageous. Consistent record of delivering challenging financial and business targets essential.
• Excellent understanding of risk management and strong analytical - decision making skills.
• Demonstrated success developing strategy and leading it through to execution and delivery.
• A strong recor