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Who's who: Kevin Carroll brings well-rounded ATM experience to MasterCard

October 9, 2006

In the early 1990s, home banking was just hitting the market. ATMs were primary access points for a majority of consumers, and they were on the radar of every banking-product manager.

At the time, Kevin Carroll was an employee of Boston-based Fleet Financial Group, which later became FleetBoston Financial and is now part of Bank of America.

Carroll wasn't looking for a career in the ATM industry, but it came looking for him.

A helping hand

When Carroll entered the industry, he wasn't quite sure what the future held. A reorganization of FleetBoston Financial led him to the role of senior product manager for the bank's ATM revenue stream and competitive intelligence division.

In that position, Carroll helped Fleet improve ATM access to the visually impaired, one of his most career-defining moments.

Through that experience, Carroll learned about consumer usage and perceptions, ATM technology, host development and terminal driving.

"Back when we did this, Windows-based ATMs weren't there," he said. "This was literally unique coding at the physical ATM."

The ATM he helped to develop for Fleet was introduced at the Watertown, Mass.-based Perkins School for the Blind after months of working with recording studios and industry technologists.

"The moment the ATM audibly announced what somebody's balance was, the cheer that came through the school (was overwhelming)," Carroll said. "It really choked me up. That changed my entire philosophy at how to approach ATMs."

A new beginning

Kevin Carroll

Carroll recently took the ATM helm at MasterCard Worldwide. He is now the card company's first senior business leader of product management for the ATM channel. The position has broadened his horizons and provided deeper insight into the industry.

MasterCard created the position to increase its ATM expertise and breadth of service.

Now Carroll is striving to leverage the technology and the channel, as well as take the ATM to the right places in the future.

Leland Englebardt, who leads Mastercard's debit channel, said Carroll's deep understanding of the ATM space made him attractive to MasterCard.

"Kevin is a well recognized and a highly respected spokesman for the importance and integrity of the ATM industry," Englebardt said. "Kevin not only understands the dynamics and technology, but he has personal contacts and relationships with many of the leaders in the industry."

On a personal note, Englebardt said Carroll is an effective speaker, and called him "user friendly."

"He's a big guy physically, but when he stands up in a room, he gets his points across in a very confident, clear kind of way," Englebardt said. "The first time I met him was after seeing him present. I was delighted with the fact that he is able to hold people's attention and command their respect in such a soft spoken way, and be really effective. He's very user friendly."

Man on a mission

Carroll's role at MasterCard has allowed him stay true to his ATM philosophy - that the ATM is a customer-relationship tool.

"The ATM simply isn't a device to walk up to and get cash (from) and then walk away," he said.

Carroll is sharing his philosophy with MasterCard. He's helped the company launch a surcharge-free ATM program for MasterCard cardholders. He also helped the company launch its first multibank shared-deposit program, which allows customers of one MasterCard member FI to make deposits at ATMs operated by other member FIs.

Tony Hayes, vice president of financial services for Boston-based Dove Consulting Inc., a division of Hitachi Consulting, said Carroll is well grounded in the ATM business.

"He has a good idea of where the industry is going and where it could go," Hayes said. "He has really fostered a greater understanding of the ATM network within the MasterCard organization, and has developed a greater appreciation of what the role (of the ATM) is and how he can help banks with their ATM plans."

A changing industry

Carroll is working to help MasterCard define its ATM channel.

"It's not a channel that requires use-building," he said. "It's, 'How do you most effectively let (users) do what they want to do at the ATM?'"

One of the companies Carroll works with is Sioux Fallls, S.D.- based Meta Payments Systems, a division of Meta Financial.

Meta Payments director Kendall Harsch said Carroll is easy to work with.

"He's open to hearing from principal members and receiving feedback," Harsch said. "He is deeply committed to the marketplace and to improving it from a compliance and relationship standpoint."

'A big adventure'

During his tenure at FleetBoston, and later as the director of product management for Greenwood Village, Colo.-based First Data Corp., Carroll's focus included preventive fraud measures in the United States. But, when he arrived at MasterCard, those measures took on a much more global perspective.

"At MasterCard we get to see every aspect of it," Carroll said. "It's a depth and breadth that I haven't experienced anywhere else that I've worked."

His work at MasterCard so far has taken him to Brazil, Europe, India and Singapore, and has enabled him to take a more proactive approach to finding fraud solutions.

"He's active in every region of the world," Englebardt said. "Despite the fact that in certain mature markets the number of ATMs has flattened out, there are other areas where growth is off the charts. Kevin is our point person globally to ensure MasterCard grows at least as fast as the ATM market grows in those countries."

Carroll's role at MasterCard is no doubt a big adventure, but time spent with family is what Carroll considers his favorite hobby. Walks with the family dog, watching his daughter perform ballet and coaching his sons' sports teams are the activities he enjoys most in life - "the things that people think is mundane stuff."