TSYS announced the retirement of William A. Pruett as Senior Executive Vice President and President of TSYS’ North America Services segment, effective April 1, 2017.

A 40-year veteran of TSYS, Pruett started his career in the merchant area at Columbus Bank and Trust in 1976, and in 2011 assumed leadership of TSYS’ largest reporting segment. Under his guidance, TSYS has become the number one provider of issuer services in North America.

"I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Bill for 40 years, and no one has had a greater positive impact on TSYS. His legacy of strong leadership and lasting customer relationships will influence our company for many years to come,” said M. Troy Woods, chairman and chief executive officer, TSYS.

TSYS also announced that it will be combining the North America Services and International Services segments into a new Issuer Solutions segment. The new segment will be established under Pruett effective January 1, 2017, and then led by Gaylon Jowers effective April 1, 2017. Jowers will report to Pam Joseph, president and chief operating officer, TSYS.

“I am very excited about the future of TSYS Issuer Solutions under the direction of Gaylon Jowers,” said Joseph. “Gaylon is a distinguished leader with broad experience across all facets of payments, a deep understanding of the company, and a passion for exceeding customer expectations."

A 25-year veteran of TSYS, Jowers currently serves as Senior Executive Vice President of TSYS, and President of TSYS’ International Services segment. He has held numerous leadership positions with the company since 1991, including those responsible for global sales, marketing and corporate strategy.

In addition, as part of the new segment’s leadership, Allen Pettis will be named President, North America Issuing, and Kelley Knutson will be named President, International Issuing. Pettis is a 30-year veteran of TSYS, and currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the North America Services segment. He is responsible for client facing functions, including all client support services and risk management operations. Knutson has been with the company for 13 years, and currently serves as Executive Vice President of the International Services segment. Prior to joining TSYS, he held other senior leadership roles across the payment industry with companies such as GE Capital and Visa.