Brendan Fitzgibbon

Meet Brendan

Drawing on more than a decade of leadership at the intersection of finance, technology and global payment systems, Brendan helps senior leaders navigate disruption, accelerate performance, and build adaptable, high-trust teams in heavily regulated, competitive environments.

As a McChrystal Group Partner, Brendan advises organizations undergoing transformation, bringing a unique blend of strategic clarity, operational discipline, and a people-first approach to building resilient organizations. He excels in financial services and technology, where the pace of change demands both technical insight and leadership agility. 

Prior to McChrystal Group, Brendan spent nearly 10 years at Visa Inc., holding global leadership roles that shaped the organization’s strategy, operations, and regulatory advocacy. He led global deal and pricing strategy operations for the company’s Value Added Services, served in a chief of staff position for the Visa Direct team, and oversaw go-to-market strategy for Visa’s funds disbursement solutions. He also directed regulatory and innovation policy, shaping Visa’s positions on topics such as digital payment partnerships, crypto, and smart cities while managing influential global thought leadership pieces like Cashless Cities and the Government E-Payment Adoption Ranking. 

Brendan started his career in international development with the International Republican Institute, leading democratic development initiatives in Iraq before transitioning to corporate strategy consulting with Kaiser Associates and through his own advisory firm. Across a broad variety of sectors, he has led engagements in M&A diligence, market sizing and entry, competitive intelligence, and operating model optimization.

Brendan earned his MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University and holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Duke University. A former All-Conference athlete and two-time ACC Champion, Brendan competed for Duke’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams, winning two conference championships, earning multiple all-conference honors, and qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 1500m.

Brendan lives in Vienna, Virginia, with his wife and three daughters.