Ron Kalifa
Rohinton "Ron" Kalifa OBE is a British entrepreneur. He is chairman of Network International, and formerly served as Chief Executive Officer of Worldpay Group for over ten years from 2002 to 2013 and then continued as Vice Chairman. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year 2018 Honours List for financial services and technology.[1]
Career
Before becoming CEO and then later Vice Chairman and Board Director of Worldpay, Kalifa held various roles within RBS where he built the Worldpay business organically and via acquisition.[2][3] During his tenure as CEO he led Worldpay through its transition to a standalone company following its divestment from RBS in 2010 and oversaw the company's takeover by Vantiv in 2017.[4][5][6]
He is now Chairman of Network International, payments group in Africa and the Middle East. He joined just ahead of its IPO in 2019.[7] He is currently also Chairman of FutureLearn, the educational technology platform.[8] He is reported to be an investor in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket franchise, Rajasthan Royals.[9]
Other Activity
Kalifa sits on various not-for-profit boards. He is a Non-Executive Director for Transport for London, where he chairs the Finance Committee.[10] In May 2019, Kalifa was appointed as a Non-Executive Director to the Bank of England’s Court of Directors.[11] In March 2020, he joined the Council of Imperial College London. In July 2020, Kalifa was appointed by the UK government to lead an independent Fintech Strategic Review.[12]
Awards
- In 2017 he ranked 3rd on the Financial Times EMPower top 100 Ethnic Minority Leaders list.[13]
- Awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year 2018 Honours List for financial services and technology.[14]
References
- Megaw, Nicholas (14 March 2019). "Network appoints ex-Worldpay chief as chairman ahead of IPO". Financial Times.
- "RBS reveals new GTS team structure". Global Trade Review (GTR). 2009-07-16.
- Clark, Simon (2015-10-13). "Bain Capital, Advent International Reap $4.9 Billion Profit From Worldpay". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660.
- Goff, Sharlene (2011-12-19). "Worldpay plans ambitious expansion". Financial Times.
- Goff, Sharlene (2016-04-05). "Worldpay set to break free from RBS technology". Financial Times.
- Monaghan, Angela (2017-08-09). "US firm Vantiv to buy British rival Worldpay for £9.3bn". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- Field, Matthew; Boland, Hannah (2019-04-02). "The companies making trillions as the world goes cashless". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235.
- "Former Worldpay exec Ron Kalifa OBE joins FutureLearn Board as Chair". FE News.
- "IPL: British businessmen take shot at Rajasthan Royals franchise". Sky News.
- "Board Members". Transport for London.
- "Chancellor announces Bank of England appointments". GOV.UK.
- Cogley, Michael (20 July 2020). "Former Worldpay boss to lead review of UK's £7bn fintech sector". The Telegraph.
- "Ranking: EMpower 100 ethnic minority leaders". Ft.com.
- "Here are all the UK tech figures named in the Queen's New Year's Honours list". Business Insider.