Merchant Risk Council names FY26-27 global board members

By AI, Created 5:45 PM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The Merchant Risk Council has appointed new leaders to its Global Board of Directors for FY26-27, adding executives from Target, Koala, and Sift. The moves are meant to strengthen the trade group’s work on education, collaboration, and fraud-prevention innovation across its global payments network.

Why it matters: - The new board adds senior leaders from retail, insurance, and trust and safety roles to a global payments and fraud-prevention trade group. - MRC says the appointments should help expand member resources, collaboration, and insights. - The board helps guide education, advocacy, and governance for a network focused on making eCommerce safer and more profitable.

What happened: - The Merchant Risk Council announced new appointments to its Global Board of Directors for FY26-27. - New elected board members are Brad Mares, Director of Cybersecurity Fraud and Abuse at Target; Corey Murphy, Director of Insurance Proposition & Underwriting at Koala, a CarTrawler company; and Kevin Lee, Field CTO, Trust and Safety at Sift. - The board roster also includes Brigette Korney of Adyen, Dave Senci of Mastercard, Kristen Morrow-Greven of Netflix, Lex Ledger of Spotify, Sam Anson of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Stuart Mann of Accertify Inc., Tim Russo of Navan, and Jamie Simmons of Capital One as board observer.

The details: - Julie Fergerson, CEO of MRC, said the new members bring experience across payments, cybersecurity, customer experience, and fraud prevention. - MRC’s Global Board of Directors provides strategic leadership and governance for the organization. - The board works with Regional Advisory Boards in North America, Europe, APAC, and LATAM. - MRC describes itself as a global non-profit membership association for payments and fraud prevention professionals. - The organization says it has 790+ companies in its membership, including merchants and solution providers. - MRC offers education on fraud prevention, payment optimization, and risk management. - MRC also connects members through educational programs, online community groups, conferences, and networking events.

Between the lines: - The board mix suggests MRC is leaning on executives who work directly at the intersection of fraud, trust, and commerce operations. - The regional board structure points to a global operating model that relies on local input as well as central governance. - The appointments also signal continuity, not a strategic reset, because the announcement emphasizes collaboration and member support rather than a new program or product.

What’s next: - The FY26-27 board will help steer MRC’s member education, advocacy, and community efforts over the coming term. - MRC is likely to continue coordinating across its regional boards as it supports global payments and fraud-prevention professionals.

The bottom line: - MRC is refreshing its leadership team with executives from major brands to bolster its global fraud-prevention and payments mission.