TSYS Appoints Managing Director to Lead European Payment Services Knutson focuses on client relationships, strategic partners, future growth in Europe YORK, England, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TSYS has selected Kelley C. Knutson as managing director of TSYS Europe. An 18-year veteran of the payments industry, Knutson has held various leadership positions with GE Capital and Visa International, and most recently served as chief executive officer of Clear Money Ltd., the leading aggregator of electronic bill presentment and payment services in the UK. Knutson will join TSYS Europe effective 5 January 2004. "Mr. Knutson has tremendous depth of experience in the global payments market. He has served clients and partners throughout Europe for the past 14 years, which has given him an excellent knowledge of the intricacies and unique issues posed by each country in the region," says Bruce L. Bacon, group executive of international services at TSYS. "His leadership will be invaluable as TSYS continues to build a reputation as the preferred global provider of payments technology and services." "We are delighted for Mr. Knutson to join our executive leadership team," says Philip W. Tomlinson, CEO of TSYS, based in Columbus, Georgia, in the southeastern United States. "He will be responsible for one of the most important segments of our business, as he leads our efforts for continued international growth. Mr. Knutson has demonstrated his skills in managing businesses globally and in Europe, and he will lead a highly capable TSYS team in Europe to greater results in the years ahead." "Since opening its European offices in 1999, TSYS has established a worthy performance record with some of the largest and most aggressive financial institutions in this market and in the world," Mr. Knutson says. "I am especially impressed with this company's dedication to satisfying its clients and providing quality payment solutions. I believe TSYS is well poised for European growth as banks, retailers and merchants are demonstrating their increased interest in new technologies and processing models." Mr. Knutson is a resident of London who has worked in Europe the past 14 years. He served three years as head of the global cards business for GE Capital (global consumer finance), and seven years as director or senior vice president of product development, product management and marketing for Visa International. Mr. Knutson joined Clear Money as CEO in 2001. He earned a master's degree in international business administration from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. To support the growth of TSYS Europe, the company is currently engaged in a number of critical initiatives: building a state-of-the-art data centre in Europe; modifying the TS2 payments system to meet requirements of specific European markets; and introducing new technologies like debit, e-commerce, store cards, gift cards and TSYS ProphIT, a workflow management system that connects disparate technologies across an enterprise. About TSYS TSYS (NYSE:TSS) ( http://www.tsys.com/ ) brings integrity and innovation to the world of electronic payments as the integral link between buyers and sellers in this rapidly evolving universe. With more than 270 million accounts on file, TSYS makes it possible for millions of consumers to use their credit, debit, stored value, commercial, smart and retail cards any time, anywhere, through any medium or portal. TSYS offers a full range of acquiring and issuing services that include accepting and settling electronic payments for goods and services; designing, administering and fulfilling loyalty programs; credit applications; bankruptcy management; and collection services. Based in Columbus, Georgia, TSYS serves companies on three continents representing 16 currencies and seven languages. TSYS also maintains operations in Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the United Kingdom and is an 81-percent owned subsidiary of Synovus (NYSE: "SNV") ( http://www.synovus.com/ ), No. 9 on FORTUNE magazine's list of "The 100 Best Companies To Work For" in 2003. For more information, contact . DATASOURCE: TSYS CONTACT: Media, Eric S. Bruner of TSYS, +1-706-644-8457, or Web site: http://www.tsys.com/ http://www.synovus.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/145515.html

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