Executive Management

LEADERSHIP

Michael J. Brown

Chairman and CEO

MICHAEL J. BROWN co-founded Euronet in 1994 and has served as its chief executive officer ever since. He is also chairman of Euronet’s board of directors and the Company’s President. He is actively involved in the day-to-day operations of Euronet while overseeing the Company’s business strategy, financial performance and the growth of the business across all markets.

Mr. Brown is an accomplished entrepreneur with 30 years of combined experience in the computer software and electronic payments business. In 1979, he founded Innovative Software, which merged in 1988 with Informix, a leading provider of advanced database software technology. During his time at Informix, he served as president and chief operating officer as well as president of the workstation products division.

Annual revenues of Informix grew from $70 million to $170 million by the time Mr. Brown left the company in 1990. In 1993, he was a founding investor of Visual Tools, a company that writes and markets component software for the growing Visual Basic and Visual C++ developer market. Sybase Software acquired Visual Tools in 1996.

Mr. Brown received a Master of Science in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1997 and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1979.

Mike In the News

2020: Video interview at Euronet’s Virtual ENGAGE Conference
2019: Q & A with Mike Brown by Manager magazine
2015: Euronet founder’s pledge helps Rockhurst High effort pick up steam
2014: Brown inducted into Bloch Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
2010: Brown named regional entrepreneur of the year
2006: Tech optimism enjoys revival
1999: Overland Park firm sees world of promise in ATMs

EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBERS

Rick Weller

Executive VP and CFO

Rick Weller was named chief financial officer for Euronet Worldwide in November 2002. He is in charge of the Company’s financial operations including financial planning and analysis, acquisitions and treasury aspects of the business.

Rick has more than 30 years of business and financial management experience. Prior to joining Euronet, Rick held several operating and financial leadership positions with companies ranging from start-up businesses to large, multinational operations. He served as chief operating officer of ionex telecommunications, a competitive local exchange company. Prior to ionex, Rick served as chief financial officer of Intek Information, Inc., an information technology outsource service provider. His previous experience includes various management roles at Sprint including vice president, finance of Sprint Communications’ consumer services long distance group; assistant vice president, finance for the company’s business services long distance group; and as assistant vice president of Sprint’s corporate-wide internal audit group. Prior to joining Sprint, Rick served as senior manager in the financial service industry practice of Price Waterhouse, an international public accounting firm. Rick is a certified public accountant and received his bachelor’s degree from Central Missouri State University.

Kevin J. Caponecchi

Executive VP and CEO, epay, Software and EFT Asia Pacific Division

Kevin J. Caponecchi joined Euronet in July 2007. Kevin is responsible for the strategic planning, operations and management of epay (Euronet’s Prepaid segment) on a global basis and the software and Asia Pacific EFT businesses.

In this role, he oversees the growth of the segments in addition to exploring new business opportunities and expansion into new markets. Kevin has 17 years of domestic and international management experience with various GE businesses. Prior to joining Euronet, he served as president for GE Transportation’s Global Signaling business. Under his leadership, the Signaling team posted double-digit growth and expanded the business into China, India and South America. During his long and successful stint at GE, Kevin worked in various management capacities within manufacturing, technology and marketing. Kevin is on the board of directors of YouthFriends, a nationally recognized and rapidly growing school-based mentoring network in Kansas and Missouri that connects caring adult volunteers with young people in schools. He holds degrees in physics from Franklin and Marshall College and industrial engineering from Columbia University.

Juan C. Bianchi

Executive VP and CEO, Money Transfer Segment

Juan Bianchi joined Euronet subsequent to the Company’s acquisition of Ria Envia, Inc., in April 2007. As CEO of the money transfer segment, Juan oversees Euronet’s money transfer operations worldwide.

Juan is responsible for the financial and operational performance of the segment in addition to driving the global strategy for the money transfer division. Prior to the acquisition, Juan served as the CEO of Ria and has spent his entire career at either Ria or AFEX Money Express, a money transfer company purchased by Ria’s founders. Juan has more than 15 years of experience in the money transfer industry. He began his career at AFEX in Chile in 1992 and in 1996, he moved to the U.S. to join AFEX USA’s operations. While at AFEX USA, first as assistant manager and then as general manager, the company grew from processing 5,000 money transfer transactions per month to 300,000 per month. Subsequently, Juan became the chief operating officer of AFEX-RIA in 2003 and was instrumental in integrating the two companies. Juan studied business at the Universidad Andres Bello in Chile and completed the Executive Program in Management at UCLA’s John E. Anderson School of Business.

Nikos Fountas

Executive VP and CEO, EFT Europe, Middle East and Africa Division

Nikos Fountas joined Euronet subsequent to the Company’s 2005 acquisition of Instreamline S.A. (now Euronet Card Services) in Greece. He was the founder of Card Business in ABC Professional Services, an affiliated Piraeus Bank company (the third largest private bank in Greece) and equity shareholder.

Since October 2005, Nikos has served as managing director of the Company’s Greece EFT subsidiary, responsible for Euronet’s European card processing and cross-border acquiring operations. In December 2014, he was named CEO of the Company’s EFT Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Division. Nikos has direct P&L responsibility for the business and oversees the commercial sales initiatives including provision of ATM, POS and card related services to customers throughout Europe. In addition to day-to-day operations management, he is responsible for strategic planning, operations and management of Euronet’s EFT Segment across EMEA. Prior to joining Euronet, Nikos spent over 20 years working in management and executive-level positions in the IT field for several companies, including IBM for 12 years. He has a degree in computer science (Honors) from York University in Canada and post graduate studies in business administration from Henley Management School and IBM Business Professional Institute.

Dr. Martin Brückner

Senior VP and CTO

Dr. Martin Brückner was named Chief Technology Officer for Euronet Worldwide in January 2014. As CTO, Martin is responsible for the development and coordination of new technologies across all Euronet divisions as well as all Corporate IT security initiatives.

Dr. Brückner has more than 20 years of software development experience. He published his first software products (BBS systems) at age 15. Prior to joining Euronet, Dr. Brückner established his own IT Company called MLB Development GmbH, where he developed software systems for various European companies, including transact, a leading German prepaid processor and subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide. In 2007, the MLB team joined transact and Dr. Brückner became responsible for software development and IT operations. In 2009, Dr. Brückner was promoted to Chief Technology Officer of Euronet’s epay segment. Martin received a Doctorate of Law from the University of Rostock and a law degree from the University of Bielefeld.

Scott D. Claassen

General Counsel and Secretary

Scott has been General Counsel and Secretary of Euronet since joining the Company in May 2020.

Prior to Euronet, he practiced corporate law with Stinson LLP and Shook, Hardy and Bacon LLP. He is a member of the Missouri bar. He received a B.S. in Agriculture from Kansas State University, an MBA from the University of Kansas and a law degree from Harvard Law School.