Dive Brief:

• Dallas-based MoneyGram International named Marc Winniford, a veteran Wells Fargo finance executive who has held multiple senior leadership roles over a 17-year span at the San Francisco-based bank, as its new finance chief, according to a Wednesday company press release. He will take the role in February.
• Winniford, who since 2022 has served as CFO of Wells Fargo’s Corporate & Investment Banking business segment, is taking the finance reins at a transitional time for the legacy cross-border payments company that is seeking to upgrade its operations after being taken private in a $1.8 billion deal in 2022. 
• "As we transform our finance organization into an engine for operational excellence and growth, Marc's leadership will be key to continuing to strengthen our foundation and unlock new opportunities,” MoneyGram CEO Anthony Soohoo, said in a statement in the release.

Dive Insight:

After taking the top post at the international wire transfer company last year, Soohoo has aimed to digitally overhaul the sprawling company that was hit by a severe outage in 2024 that took the business offline for days, CFO Dive sister publication Payments Dive previously reported.  

The appointment comes about 18 months after the company named Gary W. Ferrera to the CFO post in June of 2024, succeeded the retiring Larry Angelilli, according to a release at the time. Ferrera served as CFO for a year through June of 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile. He joined MoneyGram after serving about a year as CFO of automotive services company Driven Brands Holdings, CFO Dive previously reported. 

A spokesperson for MoneyGram said Ferrera retired in June to spend more time with his family. Brinda Bhattacharjee, who has led the company’s tresasury organization since joining in February of 2024, was named to serve as interim CFO in June. 

“Our finance team has been in great hands with seasoned leaders with significant MoneyGram tenure, along with several talented new hires across treasury and finance,” the spokesperson said in an email. The group includes Chris Russell, the chief accounting officer, and new leaders from such companies as Goldman Sachs, Invesco and Kraken, the spokesperson said.

Winniford will report directly to Soohoo, who credited the incoming finance chief as having a “disciplined approach to capital management” that aligns with MoneyGram. 

At Wells Fargo, Winniford held such roles as head of corporate finance where he led FP&A, assistant treasurer, head of corporate development as well as positions in treasury and fixed income. He also has investment banking experience, having spent five years at Lazard, according to the release. 

"MoneyGram is in the midst of an ambitious and methodical transformation," Winniford said in a statement in the release. "That momentum, paired with its global network and omnichannel platform that have the potential to redefine money movement, is what drew me here. I'm excited to join the team and ensure finance is a key driver in building the MoneyGram of the future."

Among the changes that MoneyGram is pursuing is a push to transform the finance organization to make it an engine of growth, according to the spokesperson. For example, this month it announced a partnership with Fireblocks to “further advance stablecoin-based settlement and multi-asset treasury operations across MoneyGram's retail and digital footprint, enabling faster, lower-cost payments and real-time treasury operations throughout its network.”

The company says it serves over 50 million customers annually in more than 200 countries and territories and nearly half a million retail locationa, according to the release.