Nigel Morris

Nigel Morris
Morris in 2023
BornJune 1958 (age 66)
Billericay, Essex, England
EducationLancaster Royal Grammar School
Alma materNorth East London Polytechnic
London Business School
OccupationBusinessman
Known forco-founded Capital One with Richard Fairbank
TitleManaging partner, QED Investors
Board member ofSwansea City Football Club
London Business School
National Geographic
Remitly
Children4

Nigel William Morris (born June 1958) is a British businessman. He is the managing partner of QED Investors and co-founded Capital One Financial Services with Richard Fairbank. He is also part of the ownership group of Welsh football club Swansea City.

Early life

Nigel William Morris was born in Billericay, Essex, the son of an army sergeant,[1] in June 1958.[2] He came from a working-class Welsh family: his mother was a fluent Welsh speaker from Blaenau Ffestiniog[3] and his father was born in Essex to a family from Port Talbot,[4][5]. Morris grew up in Essex.[6]

With an army father, and moving around the country, Morris went to 11 different schools,[5] ending up at Lancaster Royal Grammar School.[1] Morris earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from North East London Polytechnic, followed by an MBA from London Business School,[1][6] where he is also a Fellow.[7]

Career

Morris moved to Philadelphia in the 1980s where he met his future co-founder Rich Fairbank.[8] They worked for Strategic Planning Associates[3] (now known as Mercer Consulting) where they formed the company's banking function, focussed on the credit card industry.[8] He moved to Signet Bank[9] to focus on credit, but faced resistance to attempts to expand into the Canadian market, spurring him to start his own business.[8]

Established in 1994 spun out of Signet Financial Corp, Morris co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer of Capital One Financial Services.[10] During Morris's ten-year tenure while he served as President, Capital One's net income after taxes (NIAT) grew at a compound annual rate of more than 32%.[citation needed] He left the bank in 2004, shifting to venture capital investing.[9]

In 2007 Morris founded QED Investors with CIO Frank Rotman.[11] QED is a venture capital firm focused on high-growth financial technology companies.[12] In addition, he works in an advisory capacity with personalized prepaid debit card provider CARD.com, General Atlantic Partners and Oliver Wyman Consulting.[citation needed] He is on the board of for-profit companies, including Mission Lane, Remitly, Red Ventures, CAN Capital, Media Math, borro, and Prosper.[13] He is also on the boards of National Geographic,[14] ideas42, and the London Business School.[citation needed]

In 2023, Morris joined Swansea City's ownership group, joining the board and investing a reported £10m in return for a shareholding in the club of 19.42 per cent.[15][16]

Personal life

Morris lives in the United States with his wife and four children in Virginia.[6] He is a Tottenham Hotspur fan.[17] He purchased St Michael's Church in Llanffestiniog, the village where his mother grew up, married, and where they are both buried.[4][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Cope, Nigel (18 November 2002). "The man from over here doing rather well over there". Independent. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Nigel William MORRIS". Companies House. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b Miguel Armaza (19 November 2024). Nigel Morris, QED and Capital One Co-Founder - Transforming Financial Services for a Billion People. Retrieved 23 December 2024 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ a b c Morris, Martin (2004). "Obituary - Life of a caring soldier; Martin Morris remembers his father, Herbert (above), who has died aged 70". The Free Library. Archived from the original on 24 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b Elizabeth Day (16 August 2023). "How to Fail with Elizabeth Day" (Podcast). Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Nigel Morris". QED Investors. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Nigel W. Morris: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". investing.businessweek.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "Asking Nigel Morris of Capital One, "What's in your Wallet?"". Startup Grind. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Asking Nigel Morris of Capital One, "What's in your Wallet?"". Startup Grind. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  10. ^ Botella, Elena (2 October 2019). "I Worked at Capital One for Five Years. This Is How We Justified Piling Debt on Poor Customers". The New Republic. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  11. ^ Azevedo, Mary Ann (14 September 2021). "QED Investors closes on $1.05B across two funds to invest in fintech companies globally". TechCrunch. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Home | QED Investors". www.qedinvestors.com. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  13. ^ Wack, Kevin (10 June 2014). "Capital One Alum Nigel Morris Joins Prosper's Board". American Banker. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  14. ^ Burns, Hilary (20 January 2016). "Capital One co-founder Nigel Morris joins AvidXchange's board". Charlotte Business Journal. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  15. ^ "Nigel Morris joins Swansea City board after investment". BBC Sport. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Ownership statement". Swansea City. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  17. ^ "🎧The Fintech OG Series: Frank Rotman and Nigel Morris". This Week in Fintech. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024.