There is nothing accidental about First Data’s position as the payment industry’s global leader. We achieved that status by assembling over time a unique and remarkably powerful distribution network, and with it an unmatched degree of professional knowledge and industry expertise. We’ve built the company around core capabilities to be the premier single-source provider of services and solutions for an expansive and diverse range of worldwide customers. The purpose of our enterprise, and for that matter the backbone of our competitive strength, is a determined commitment to create increasing value for customers, and to deliver consistent earnings growth.

Our management team is highly disciplined, bottom-line focused, and deeply involved in day-to-day operations. They exert rigorous financial controls, and they are able to shoulder tough decisions in order to increase First Data’s competitive strength. First Data’s managers set the pace for a corporate culture bent on superior performance. Maybe the most telling characteristic is their acceptance of short-term accountability in the pursuit of difficult, long-term objectives.

Early every morning leaders throughout the company connect on a conference call to discuss what’s happening in the business. These calls keep management in close touch with customers to address problems quickly and size opportunities with agility.

The management team’s close connection to the details is balanced by a global perspective. We see the big picture, and with it, the extent of First Data’s potential for long-term and sustained growth. To achieve what’s possible—and to maintain First Data’s leadership position in the global payments industry—the company’s leaders are taking the next steps to fully integrate and leverage First Data’s many platform strengths.