Phillip W. Steitz has been appointed to the position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Barclaycard US, the credit card business of Barclays PLC in the United States.
Mr. Steitz, a 25-year management and technology veteran, will be responsible for overseeing the development and management of the Business Technology Group. He will oversee enterprise-wide technology strategy, systems selection and management, information management, application development, implementation of innovations, technology operations, information security, Web services, IT architecture, technology vendor oversight and technical leadership for Barclaycard US.
He will report to Chief Operating Officer Joe Purzycki and will serve on the Barclaycard US Executive Committee.
Mr. Steitz most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for American Express, where he oversaw global technology standards and strategy. During his nine-year tenure there, he led the introduction of numerous technology innovations, including mass Web personalization, standards-based identity and access management, advanced performance engineering, real-time data integration for multiple business lines and other critical functionality.
"Phil Steitz brings a wealth of technical knowledge and relevant card payment IT operations experience to Barclaycard US," said Joe Purzycki, COO, Barclaycard US. "As Barclaycard US continues to grow and emerge as a leader in the industry, Phil will have an immediate and deep impact by providing a solid IT foundation to support our business objectives, continued growth and leadership in credit card innovation."
"From an IT perspective, it's a real advantage that the systems here were built using today's technologies," said Mr. Steitz. "Barclaycard US systems are flexible and nimble for creating customized programs that meet specific partner needs. Barclaycard US today can do a lot for its partners in terms of customization, special features, reporting and service technology. I am excited to lead such a talented and well-positioned team as we scale the Barclaycard US business and respond to changes in our competitive environment."
Mr. Steitz previously held various technical and management positions at Intelligroup, Entersoft Systems (now BEA systems), Financial Dynamics and Target Systems Development. He holds a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Maryland and a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Beloit College.