Payair recruits new CEO from Ericsson

Uppsala, August 8, 2011- Staffan Ljung is appointed CEO at Payair AB, a Sweden based mobile payments company.

Staffan Ljung previously held a leading position within Ericsson where he was responsible for the development of its mobile payment solutions.

“-Having been part of building the foundation for Ericsson Mobile Money I am delighted to join Payair and lead a business which is a 100 % focused on innovating the payment space and improving payment services. In my previous role I was exposed to numerous mobile payment solutions, which has given me considerable insight into this industry and I believe Payair has a unique concept which will change the way we shop mobile, both online and in store. The company has been successful in building innovative and user-friendly mobile payment solutions in collaboration with important partners such as Swedbank, one of Scandinavia’s largest banks.  Payair will position itself within the existing payment ecosystem, something which I believe is critical for gaining the acceptance required for a larger scale roll-out”- says Staffan Ljung newly appointed CEO at Payair

Sören Babra, former CEO and Payair co-founder will continue his involvement within the company with focus on business development and as a member of the board of directors.

“-Payair is currently in a critical phase of its development, having previously been purely focused on development we are now moving towards becoming a commercialized entity, a process which I am convinced will benefit from Staffan’s expertise. Staffan has a strong background within the telecom – as well as the payment service provider industry, and his global network of operator customers in combination with a great deal of skill and knowledge makes him a perfect fit. He is the ideal leader to take Payair to the next stage” – says Sören Babra.

Many representatives from the industry, analysts and media expect 2011/2012 to be the year where we see a serious transformation within the mobile payment space; moving from having consisted of fragmented showcases to up-and-running mobile payment initiatives on a larger scale, a view that is shared by Payair.

 “-Taking on a challenge like this is very exciting at this point in time. Companies like Payair will be the drivers of innovation and play a big part in making sure mobile payments become a reality in the near future. Payair’s comprehensive service portfolio is something which we see demand for on a global level. Initially we expect the breakthrough to take place within the e-commerce business where Payair´s solution brings a great share of benefits to both consumers and merchants” – says Staffan Ljung appointed CEO