Donald M. Berman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Donald M. Berman was the sole founder of CardWorks Servicing (formerly Cardholder Management Services, or CMS) in 1987. Today, Mr. Berman is President and CEO of CardWorks Servicing and Chairman and CEO of CardWorks, Inc., its parent company. As such, he oversees the company’s strategic development, operation and growth. Most recently, Mr. Berman has been working to expand the company’s acquiring and issuing business both in the U.S. and internationally, and evaluating non-cards assets to own and/or service.
Prior to founding CardWorks Servicing, Mr. Berman was a senior marketing executive with Eastern States Bankcard Association (1982-1986). During the early years at CardWorks Servicing, Mr. Berman simultaneously served as an industry consultant and then as Vice President for Smith Barney’s Financial Institutions Division (1989-1991). One of the earliest proponents of secured cards—the precursor to today’s non-prime card market—Mr. Berman is widely known in the bankcard industry and recognized as an expert in the servicing of non-prime cards, bankcard marketing, account management, co-branding, and portfolio sales. Mr. Berman has been a key player in bringing major banking and non-banking firms into the credit card business and has been instrumental in the launch of industry-changing events. Mr. Berman has also been involved in the purchase and sale of more than 25 portfolios, with receivables in excess of $40 billion. He earned his BA from the University of Maryland.
David B. Watson, President
Dave Watson joined CardWorks Servicing in 1989 as Vice President, Marketing and Sales, and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 1992 and Executive Vice President in 1999. Mr. Watson was named Chairman of the Board of Merrick Bank in 1997 and President of CardWorks, Inc. in 1999. During his tenure with CardWorks, Mr. Watson has consulted with major card issuers on numerous assignments in the areas of co-branding, asset sales, segmentation and processing optimization, and with dozens of CardWorks clients in the start-up and maintenance of their credit card programs. Today, Mr. Watson has responsibility for CardWorks Servicing’s Collections Department and also has P&L responsibility for the bank. His other roles include product positioning and pricing, and he continues to play an important role in new business development and client contract negotiations.
Prior to joining CardWorks, Mr. Watson was the District Sales Manager of Sales and Marketing for FDR® and ESBA for five years. In both organizations, Mr. Watson was responsible for acquiring new business and servicing existing customers. While at ESBA, his duties also included the joint marketing of CardWorks’ services with ESBA’s processing services. Mr. Watson is considered an industry expert in the underserved credit card market and has a demonstrated expertise in pricing, segmentation, product development and risk management for non-prime credit cards. Mr. Watson holds a BA in Business Administration and Marketing from Pennsylvania State University.
Robert Perro, Vice Chairman
Robert Perro joined CardWorks, Inc. in 2006 as Vice Chairman. He is also a member of the Board of Directors at Merrick Bank. In his position at CardWorks, Mr. Perro is responsible for Finance, Audit, Real Estate, Taxes, Insurance, Legal, Merger and Acquisition Activities, and Asset/Servicing Diversification Strategies.
Prior to joining CardWorks, Mr. Perro was a managing Director and the Chief Financial Officer of the Hyperion Group. He is also a member of the board of directors of Franklin Bank Corp. (publicly traded), and an officer and director of various holding companies owned by the Hyperion Group. Prior to joining the Hyperion Group in 1993, he was a partner in a public accounting firm; he later left to head his own accounting firm. Mr. Perro is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a BBA from Bernard Baruch College of the City University of New York and an MS in Taxation from C.W. Post College of Long Island University.
John G. Strong, Executive Vice President & CIO, Information Systems and Technology
John Strong joined CardWorks Servicing in 1989 as Vice President, Operations, and was promoted in 1992 to Senior Vice President, Information Systems and Technology. In his previous role, Mr. Strong had total responsibility for day-to-day operations, managing the relationship with data processors and coordinating the system changes that were necessary to implement new or update existing bankcard programs.
In his current role, Mr. Strong is responsible for all information management systems, and he supports CardWorks Servicing’s operations through the strategic design, implementation and management of all telecommunications and technology. Mr. Strong is also responsible for the marketing and administration of CardWorks Servicing’s Portfolio Management Group, which assists Merrick Bank and other servicing clients in managing their credit card portfolios. In addition, Mr. Strong assesses company and portfolio performance as a member of the due diligence team. Prior to joining CardWorks Servicing, Mr. Strong managed an implementations/conversion staff of 20 at ESBA (acquired by FDR in 1988), where he was responsible for new program start-up or system changes for existing credit card programs. Before he joined ESBA, Mr. Strong was Operations Officer for the VISA/MasterCard program at National Westminster Bank, where he was instrumental in the credit, collection and customer service functions of a 500,000-account credit card portfolio.
Mr. Strong is a member of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI). He holds a BS in Business Management from C.W. Post College of Long Island University, and an MBA with a concentration in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.
Vincent J. Caruso, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
Vincent Caruso joined CardWorks Servicing in 1997 as Chief Administrative Officer, responsible for improving operational performance to achieve growth and profit objectives and to lead CardWorks Servicing’s acquisition and due diligence team. Mr. Caruso was named Chief Financial and Administrative Officer of CardWorks in 1999. Most recently, he has been responsible for managing the day to day financial operations of CardWorks, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Call Center operations, and he is a key member of the team that develops financial strategies and identifies potential acquisitions. He is also responsible for executing those strategies and continues to lead CardWorks’ due diligence team. Mr. Caruso is also the Chief Financial & Administrative Officer of CardWorks, Inc. and is a member of the CardWorks, Inc. Board of Directors.
Mr. Caruso has more than 30 years of executive experience in the financial services industry, most notably at The Travelers Group, Inc., where he served as Vice President of Finance and Group CFO for all Investment Operations and Financial Services, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial and Operations Officer and Board Member of The Copeland Companies, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Travelers Mortgage Services, Inc.. Prior to his Travelers experience, Mr. Caruso was Chief Financial Officer of the Long Island Trust Company and its subsidiaries. He holds a BA from Princeton University.