Featurespace, a Visa solution, announces new leadership for exciting next chapter

Jason Blackhurst will replace current CEO, Martina King, who will retire

CAMBRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM, March 31, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- • Jason Blackhurst will replace current CEO, Martina King, who will retire
· Featurespace and Visa reaffirm commitment to Cambridge, UK and links to academic heritage through extended 6-year lease

Featurespace, global fraud and financial crime prevention innovators, today announced that CEO Martina King will retire following the company's successful acquisition by Visa.

Jason Blackhurst will take on the role of SVP, Head of Featurespace and Acceptance Risk Solutions at Visa. With a history of leadership roles across the payments industry, Blackhurst brings over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.

King's retirement marks the culmination of a remarkable twelve-year tenure at Featurespace. During this time, she led the company's growth from its early stages to its current position as a global leader in machine learning-powered fraud detection, now a Visa Solution.

Blackhurst is relocating with his family from the United States to Cambridge, UK to oversee Featurespace’s continued innovation and 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 vibrant Cambridge technology ecosystem.

Jason Blackhurst, SVP, Head of Featurespace and Acceptance Risk Solutions at Visa, says: "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."

"Cambridge is Featurespace's innovation heartbeat. Our continued presence here allows us to tap into the exceptional talent pool and collaborate closely with the University of Cambridge, ensuring we remain at the forefront of artificial intelligence's advancement. This long-term lease demonstrates our dedication to the Cambridge community."

James Mirfin, SVP, Global Head of Risk and Identity Solutions at Visa, continues: "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.”

Featurespace provides ground-breaking solutions using AI to help banks and financial institutions crack down on fraud. It has built a model optimized for real-time data analytics, capable of recalibrating in real-time to help identify and prevent both existing and new forms of fraud.

ENDS

About Featurespace
Featurespace, a Visa Solution, is a global, AI-native transaction monitoring company that helps to prevent fraud and financial crime. Using artificial intelligence, it analyses data in real time to identify and stop existing and new forms of fraud and financial crime.

Delivering on its mission to make the world a safer place to transact, Featurespace works with many of the world’s largest banks and financial institutions, protecting 500 million consumers globally and safely processing over 100 billion payment events each year.

Over 100,000 businesses put their trust in Featurespace’s technology. Founded in 2008, and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, Featurespace has more than 400 team members, operating globally from six locations. Learn more at featurespace.com.

Contact:
featurespace@seven-consultancy.com

Janine Michaels
Featurespace
+44 7878 966025
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