TSYS® President Joins Board of Leading Japanese Merchant Payment Processor
Philip W. Tomlinson named to GP Net Board of Directors
Tokyo, Japan, November 8, 2000 — GP Network Corporation of Tokyo, a leading payment gateway for more than 100,000 merchants and their banking partners, has announced the appointment of TSYS President Philip W. Tomlinson to its board of directors. GP Net captures approximately 20 percent of Japan's card transactions generated by approximately 700,000 CAT terminals nationwide, and it is the only chip-capable processor currently operating in Japan. TSYS recently purchased a 51 percent interest in GP Net to aid its expansion in the Asian market.
Tomlinson joins other card industry leaders who are executives of Japanese credit card companies including: Hitoshi Kondo, TSYS Japan; Taira Nagano, GPNet; Akira Uno, Visa Japan; Hayao Shiraishi, DC Card; Takao Soeda, Million Card; Masaaki Takagi, Visa International; Norihisa Matsuda, Nippon Shinpan; and Toyohiko Yamashita, UC Card. Auditors for the board are William E. Stewart, TSYS; Teruyuki Maekawa, Credit Saison; and Yuji Yamazaki, Daiei OMC.
As president of TSYS, Tomlinson oversees the Company's day-to-day operations and directs technological and international growth and advancement. Tomlinson is chairman of Vital Processing Services®, LLC. (Vital®), a joint venture between Visa® and TSYS, which processes 25 percent of all merchant transactions in the U.S. Tomlinson served as executive vice president of TSYS, beginning in 1983 when the company was formed from the data processing and bankcard departments of Columbus Bank & Trust Company® (CB&T®) in Columbus, Ga. Tomlinson joined CB&T in 1974, and previously had an extensive management career with General Electric Corporation in Atlanta.
A graduate of the School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University, Tomlinson's industry affiliations include the MasterCard® International Operations Committee and the VISA Delivery Systems Advisory Board. He is past president of the Bank Administration Institute. In addition, Tomlinson serves on the Board of Directors for Vital and as vice chairman of the Board for Total System Services de Mexico S.A. de C.V® (TSYS de Mexico), a joint venture between TSYS and Mexico’s Controladora PROSA S.A. de C.V., a holding company owned by leading Mexican banks.
About GP Network Corporation
Established in November 1995 by Visa International and eight other Japanese card companies, GP Net’s current 11 shareholders represent 116 million credit card accounts. GP Net serves as a payment gateway or "switch" for more than 100,000 merchants and their banking partners. With an estimated 20 percent market share of acquired electronic transactions, GP Net provides front-end data capture and network services and is the only chip-capable payments processor currently operating in Japan.
About Total System Services, Inc.
TSYS provides global commerce solutions. With more than 186 million accounts on file, TSYS facilitates the payment exchange between buyers and sellers. TSYS and its family of companies offer a full range of acquiring and issuing business services from credit application to collections for credit, debit, commercial, stored value and retail accounts. TSYS has offices in the United States, Europe, Mexico, Canada and Japan, and processes in 21 countries and 11 currencies. Based in Columbus, Ga., TSYS (NYSE: "TSS") (www.totalsystem.com) is an 80.8 percent-owned subsidiary of Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: "SNV") (www.synovus.com), No. 5 on FORTUNE magazine’s list of "The 100 Best Companies To Work For" in 2000. For more information, contact news@totalsystem.com.
Contacts:
Setsuko Yamanaka
GP Network Corporation
ph. 81-3-5428-8413
setsuko@gpnet.ne.jp
Danita Gibson-Lloyd
Corporate Communications Manager
ph. (706) 649-5578
dglloyd@totalsystem.com