Leaders In Payments

Recorded live from the PayTech Women Leadership Summit in Atlanta, we bring you a rapid, energizing tour of leadership lessons from executives, board members, and rising voices shaping the future of payments and fintech. A special thanks to our episode sponsor Global Payments. 

Across crisp conversations, a common theme emerges: community multiplies competence. You’ll hear how curiosity fuels influence, why relationships beat résumés, and how owning your personal banner outlasts any company logo.

Chrissy Wagner (FIS) opens with a hard truth many leaders overlook—self care is strategy. When your cup is full, you lead with clarity and generosity. Margaret Weichert draws on three decades across Bank of America, First Data, Accenture, EY, and The Clearing House to champion curiosity as a daily practice: learn the tech, the processes, and the business context so every presentation connects to customer value and shareholder outcomes. That framing travels across product, risk, and operations, especially as rails evolve and real-time becomes table stakes.

Relationship building gets tactical with Rebecca Walden (Corvia), who shares how to deepen ties beyond LinkedIn: Zoom coffees, thoughtful introductions, timely articles, and in-person meetups that convert weak ties into trusted allies. Executive coach Cynthia Knowles underscores investing in purpose and skills, noting that the summit creates rare neutral ground where fierce competitors become generous collaborators. Melissa Desjardins (Protiviti) offers a powerful structure—build a personal board of directors who challenge your assumptions and push you to take bold steps, then return the favor for others.

From the talent pipeline, Laura Gibson Lamothe (Georgia FinTech Academy) shows how belonging accelerates careers, especially for those who haven’t always seen themselves reflected in leadership. Kathy Kmiotek urges leaders to own their personal banner—your story, your value proposition—through every career shift. And Naomi Donaldson (FISERV) connects the dots across industry change, from cash and checks to crypto, stablecoins, and agentic commerce, while navigating the realities of growth, family, and leadership on a shared stage with industry rivals.

If you care about payments innovation, career momentum, or simply leading with purpose in a competitive market, this conversation delivers practical, repeatable moves you can use today. 

The fastest way to win more ISO and agent deals isn’t adding more vendors; it’s sharpening the story. We sit down with John Barrett and Andie Hill from Payroc to unpack how a focused core product strategy transformed recruiting conversations, accelerated close rates, and unlocked real wins in the SMB space. This is the third and final episode in our three-part series titled: Focus. Build. Win.

John breaks down the four-part recruiting pitch that sets expectations and gets to fit fast: who Payroc is as a full-service acquirer, what the core solutions do, how infrastructure and culture support partners as customer number one, and where international expansion opens future lanes. Andie takes us into the field results: near sellouts of their terminal twice in a year, a step-change in win rates, and tangible gains when SMBs finally get pay by text, lightweight invoicing, and a polished countertop experience without enterprise POS cost or complexity. Service verticals like auto repair and landscaping benefit from simple scheduling, mobile-friendly payments, and fewer keyed transactions -practical improvements that agents can demo and merchants adopt quickly.

We also walk through a vertical ISO case study that shifted to sending 95 percent of its business to Payroc after repeatable onboarding, underwriting alignment, and responsive support outperformed legacy processors. Throughout the conversation, feedback loops drive the roadmap: trade show questions, CRM win-loss data, and partner demos surfaced the need for features like scheduling, which moved from request to release. The core message is clear; focus doesn’t mean fixed. The stack evolves, but the promise stays consistent: fewer products, better execution, stronger support, and a go-to-market that respects the time of the people closest to the merchant.

Europe isn’t one payments market; it’s dozens of overlapping preferences, currencies, and rails that can make cross‑border growth feel like threading a needle. We sit down with David Rintel, CEO of Finby, to explore how a one‑stop, proprietary stack can tame that complexity while giving merchants real control over speed, features, and cost. From rebranding TrustPay to Finby to securing a new European license, David shares why staking out a distinct identity matters when your strategy is to build infrastructure, not just resell it.

We dig into what merchants actually need to win in new countries: curated payment methods that fit both their target market and their business model. David breaks down where cards still win, where local methods like BLIK and iDEAL dominate, and how recurring billing, chargeback rules, and settlement flows shape conversion and risk. He explains why direct scheme memberships beyond cards unlock first‑mile access to features, lower latency, and better product roadmaps and how a unified API can turn new market launches into configuration rather than fresh builds.

Regulation gets real, too. EU‑level rules rarely land uniformly; national transpositions drive edge‑case complexity, while mandates like SCA and instant payments remake the pipes. David’s advice is blunt and useful: stop trying to predict the winning rail and instead design for adaptability - teams, partners, and tech that bend without breaking. If you’re leading payments for a cross‑border brand, you’ll leave with a clearer playbook for method selection, integration depth, compliance guardrails, and the mindset to stay ahead of constant change.

In the second episode in our three part series titled: Focus. Build. Win, I sit down with James Derby, EVP of Merchant Facing Product at Payroc, to unpack how a core product strategy transformed scattered tools into a focused growth engine for partners and merchants. Instead of mastering dozens of third‑party options, the team picked a few products to go deep on, built vertical features that matter, and tightened the feedback loop from sales floor to roadmap.

James walks through Roc Terminal+ for broad processing needs, Roc Giving for nonprofits, and Roc Services for field service teams, including a new scheduling component aimed at competing upmarket. The thread tying it all together is software-led sales: lead with the operational win and let payments follow. That shift brings faster deployments, better support, and real economics for ISOs and agents, with an 8–11% margin lift on new core placements and lower attrition as support improves. Owning the gateway and settlement stack gives Payroc the control to integrate acquisitions, standardize security, and ship features at speed without vendor drag.

We also get into the commercialization playbook: building a business case with sales input, targeting underserved MCCs, choosing build vs. white label, and running disciplined pilots before GA. Post‑launch, James emphasizes data, not vibes - tracking adoption, revenue, support quality, and direct merchant feedback to keep product-market fit tight. Looking forward, tap to pay continues to rise, standalone terminals slowly recede, and consolidation among large processors creates room for agile teams that ship vertical SaaS with integrated payments.

If you care about turning product focus into partner success, this conversation delivers practical detail you can use.

The U.S.-to-LATAM corridor is heating up fast, and the rules of getting paid are changing even faster. We sit down with PPRO’s Therese Hudak to unpack fresh insights from their new Almanac, spotlighting what actually moves the needle for conversion and growth across Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. From the meteoric rise of PIX in Brazil to the quiet power of cash vouchers in Mexico, we break down the methods your customers already use and why adopting them can transform your cross-border results.

We explore how real-time bank transfers and digital wallets are overtaking traditional rails, what super app ecosystems like Mercado Pago, Nubank, Rappi, and PicPay mean for reach and retention, and why local acquiring often beats cross-border processing on authorization rates, costs, and customer trust. You’ll hear concrete examples of local-only card schemes, the hidden fees that trigger chargebacks, and practical ways to present clean, transparent pricing that keeps buyers coming back.

We also dive into vertical-specific tactics. Retail remains the growth engine with fashion, electronics, and beauty leading spend, while mobile-first behavior and social commerce reshape discovery and checkout. Gaming and SaaS face unique subscription hurdles as issuers scrutinize merchant-initiated transactions; we share ways to align with LATAM’s installment culture and use wallet flexibility to lift acceptance. To wrap it up, we provide a simple checklist: activate local access, accept the right methods, manage performance - to help you enter, learn, and scale with confidence.

If LATAM is on your roadmap, this conversation gives you the playbook to act now. Visit ppro.com/almanac to learn more. 

If you’ve ever tried to pivot a payments company from vendor sprawl to a product-led core, you know the hardest part isn’t the code - it’s the conviction. Greg Myers sits down with Payroc CEO Jim Oberman in the first episode in our three-part series titled Focus. Build. Win. to trace the inflection point that moved the company from relying on third parties to building and owning the core stack merchants now expect. We dig into the strategy behind choosing focus over FOMO, why omni and embedded experiences changed the rules, and how a disciplined product roadmap turned into a growth engine for partners and merchants alike.

Jim opens the playbook on capital allocation and scale: a two-pronged approach that combined careful acquisitions of mature distribution with targeted technology buys to accelerate the roadmap and extend globally. We talk about integrating WorldNet and BlueSnap, rebranding decisively, and the operating principle that all new business must board on the core platform. The result is a clear throughline from M&A to product to outcomes, including core-platform growth near 37% year over year while legacy assets provide the cash to fund tomorrow.

Execution is where it gets real. Jim shares how Payroc built a weekly cross-functional steering committee to avoid politics, return every debate to customer impact, and keep teams from chasing shiny objects. We explore the shift to vertical focus - unattended payments like vending, laundry, car wash, parking, and kiosks - where contactless demand is compounding. Data sits at the center, with a unified lake that reconciles to financials, enabling honest prioritization and faster, clearer decisions. 

We close with lessons learned and what’s next: helping founder teams let go without losing their spark, centralizing support even if it’s expensive, and keeping a “never again” list to avoid unwinnable arenas. The next chapter is about sales execution and taking global capabilities to mid-market clients that are ready to expand. 

Cash flow shouldn’t depend on how many supplier portals your customers force you to use. We sit down with Bill360 president Kevin Sisk to unpack how true accounts receivable automation flips the script for small and midsize B2B companies, turning invoice chaos into a clean, controlled path to getting paid. Kevin’s journey from the Marine Corps through major processors and complex joint ventures to his first startup gives him a rare vantage point on why back-office change is hard and why now is the right time to make it stick.

We break down the pain most owners know too well: dozens of buyer-driven AP systems, manual steps, scattered approvals, and aging invoices. Kevin explains how Bill360 couples AR software with embedded payment facilitation to remove handoffs and deliver one accountable partner. The result is faster payments, automated reminders and dispute handling, and a full audit trail even as teams change. We also explore why a B2B-first design matters, where live human support fits into a “light touch” platform, and how partnerships with vertical software vendors complete industry workflows without forcing users to switch systems.

The conversation digs into the network effects that emerge when suppliers invite their buyers into a shared environment - suddenly the platform sees real relationships and behaviors instead of isolated transactions. That visibility powers smarter insights and, with AI, personalized recommendations that improve cash flow, reduce friction, and even execute actions with user consent. We zoom out to the broader payments landscape too: real-time rails, cross-border options, embedded finance and lending, and the rising need for security as fraudsters adopt AI. If you’re ready to reduce DSO, standardize invoicing, and bring clarity to collections, this episode is a blueprint for modernizing receivables without adding complexity.

Ruston Miles, Founder and Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Bluefin and I start with the origin story: telecom roots, fiber‑rich Tulsa, and the overlooked reality of call centers that needed real‑time authorizations long before shopping carts ruled the web. Ruston explains why Bluefin moved into security early - serving higher ed, nonprofits, and faith‑based media where brand trust is everything and how that path led to P2PE. Then comes the turning point: a decision to decouple encryption from acquiring, offer P2PE as a service, and even power competitors. That platform approach now supports around 150 devices across 17 manufacturers and underpins airlines, transport systems, fuel networks, and more, often quietly and often by requirement.

From there, we look ahead. Network tokens are rising, wallets are changing, and AI is pushing commerce from clicks to intent. Ruston separates hype from reality, showing how today’s “agentic” automation schedules deliveries and completes checkouts, while tomorrow’s agents will present payment credentials securely without platforms ever seeing raw card data. That shift demands virtual P2PE, inter‑agent boundary mediation, and standards that let authentication and encryption travel with the transaction. We also get practical: how Bluefin’s P2PE‑as‑Proxy reduces integration pain, why security must keep pace with innovation, and what skills newcomers need as software continues to digest payments.

If you care about payments security, PCI, P2PE, tokenization, gateways, ISVs, and the future of agentic commerce, you’ll find plenty to take back to your roadmap. 

In the final episode of Powering Payments Together: How Payroc Helps ISVs Scale Smarter, we turn the spotlight on CenterEdge Software and their journey to building a payments program that drives real business value. Leslie Legel, Director of Payments at CenterEdge, joins the conversation to share how Payroc has become a trusted partner in helping them overcome challenges, strengthen their platform, and deliver a seamless experience for their clients.

Leslie explains why payments are mission-critical for family entertainment centers, where more than 90 percent of transactions are digital and downtime isn’t an option. From July 4th waterparks to cashless operations, reliability isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation of customer satisfaction. She reflects on a tough lesson learned when a gateway integration didn’t meet expectations, and how those setbacks ultimately led CenterEdge to develop a more reliable and scalable payments strategy.

The episode also explores how CenterEdge built and branded “CenterEdge Payments,” giving them control over the customer journey and creating a more transparent, feature-rich solution for their clients. Leslie shares how Payroc stood out as a partner, not just for their technology and APIs, but for their willingness to understand CenterEdge’s business, answer tough questions, and provide the tools and flexibility needed to scale.

Finally, Leslie offers advice to ISVs navigating the high-stakes world of payments: do your homework, know your limitations, and find a partner who is as invested in your success as you are. Looking ahead, she discusses how CenterEdge and Payroc will continue to grow together, exploring new solutions and opportunities to strengthen their offering in the family entertainment space.

Bridging the gap between Treasury, Accounts Receivable, and Accounts Payable represents the critical "last mile" in financial automation. John Rubenetti, President of B2B Payments at Deluxe, reveals how leading organizations are connecting these traditionally siloed functions to create seamless, intelligent financial ecosystems.

The challenge isn't implementing individual automation solutions—it's connecting them. "The friction shows up in the handoffs," Rubenetti explains. When data and money flow through disconnected systems, finance leaders lose visibility and control. True transformation happens when organizations align technology, people, and processes to create end-to-end financial workflows.

Many CFOs underestimate the complexity of integration. They may believe they understand departmental processes but miss critical dependencies or manual workarounds. Data quality becomes another stumbling block—if information isn't clean today, automation won't deliver promised insights. Rubenetti advises starting with a clear vision, taking a phased approach, and choosing partners who understand both the technology and change management aspects.

The conversation explores how modern thinking must accompany modern tools. While dashboards provide visibility, embedding intelligence directly into workflows creates transformative value. Instead of merely reporting numbers, advanced systems prioritize actions, handle exceptions through AI, and trigger automated responses—shifting from static reporting to dynamic decision support.

Rubenetti highlights three significant B2B payment trends: mid-market automation (where 70% still lack automated AP/AR processes), enhanced security (as "fraud thrives in manual processes"), and payment modernization. Despite technological advances, paper checks remain surprisingly prevalent, particularly among small and mid-sized businesses who value the detailed information that accompanies them.

Deluxe has evolved far beyond its reputation as "the check company" to become a comprehensive payments and data organization. Their solutions now span the entire financial ecosystem—from treasury management to merchant services—helping businesses move money faster, safer, and more efficiently while maintaining the data integrity essential for strategic decision-making.

Ready to complete your financial automation journey? Start by mastering the basics before pursuing flashier technologies. The foundation you build today will determine your success tomorrow.