Global fraud and financial crime prevention firm Featurespace has confirmed that CEO Martina King has left her position in retirement.
King was instrumental in Featurespace’s acquisition from Visa and led the company for more than a decade, helping roll out a myriad of fraud prevention tools and solutions during her tenure.
Succeeding King will be Jason Blackhurst, who will also take on the role as SVP, Head of Featurespace and Acceptance Risk Solutions at Visa. He has worked at Visa for the last 10 years, previously as the SVP of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships.
Blackhurst said: “I am excited to build upon Featurespace’s strong foundations and drive further innovation in the rapidly evolving fraud prevention landscape.
“I have been inspired by how deeply the team thinks about problems and solutions under Martina’s leadership and hope to continue that legacy.”
Blackhurst will also relocate with his family from the US to Cambridge, UK, to oversee Featurespace’s continued growth.
In addition to Blackhurst’s appointment, Featurespace is reinforcing its commitment to its academic heritage by securing a six-year lease at its current head office location in Cambridge.
This investment underscores its longstanding ties to the University of Cambridge, where its technology originated, with Visa’s dedication to fostering innovation within the Cambridge technology ecosystem.
James Mirfin, SVP, Global Head of Risk and Identity Solutions at Visa, added: “We are thrilled to see Jason move to lead Featurespace and to have a Visa presence in Cambridge.
“If you’re going to solve dynamic problems, you need dynamic leadership and relationships – and Featurespace has built that over the past 12 years. Jason’s vision will be invaluable as we continue to deliver cutting-edge fraud prevention solutions to our clients globally.”
