• Baylor alum named CFO of PayPal

    John Rainey

    With digital payment company PayPal separating from longtime partner eBay to become a separate company this summer, the newly independent company needed the right leader to serve as Chief Financial Officer. Their search led them to a Baylor grad. John D. Rainey, BBA ’93, MBA ’95, was named PayPal’s new CFO earlier this month, positioning him to lead during a pivotal time for the company.

    Rainey comes to PayPal from United Airlines, where he served as vice president and CFO. At PayPal, he will oversee regional finance teams and investor relations, in addition to the company’s overall financial operations. Rainey worked for Continental Airlines (which was bought by, and merged with, United) for nearly two decades, overseeing a successful period that saw Continental named as one of Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Places To Work”. He was named CFO in 2012.

    At PayPal, he comes to a company that’s growing as it moves into its own. Nearly 170 million people used PayPal last year, with more than $1.1 billion in transactions taking place. It’s an exciting new opportunity for a Baylor grad who has remained connected to his alma mater. Rainey describes his time here as “truly a great experience,” and while at Continental/United, he made it “a personal goal” to actively recruit graduates from Baylor.

    Rainey was back on campus last fall to speak with students in the Hankamer School of Business. He charged them with being “authentic leaders” with servant hearts. “There is nothing in the business world so repelling as arrogance,” he noted.

    Sic ’em, John Rainey!