November 12, 2025 • 21 mins
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.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_04 (00:03):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Leaders in
Payments Podcast.
I'm your host, Greg Myers, andtoday we're podcasting from the
PayTech Women Leadership Summitin Atlanta, Georgia.
So this episode is going to becalled the 321 Podcast.
It's three questions, twominutes, and one impactful
statement from our guests.
Our guests today are going to bespeakers, executives that are at
(00:24):
the conference today.
So I want to give a specialshout out to our sponsor, Global
Payments.
So thank you for sponsoring thisepisode and on to the show.
Our first guest is ChrissyWagner.
SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
My name is Chrissy Wagner, and I'm the senior vice
president of GoToMarket at FIS.
SPEAKER_04 (00:40):
What's one piece of advice you'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact as a leader?
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
That's a great question, Greg.
I think women often neglecttheir own needs.
And I think that's true in lifeand in work.
So the one piece of advice Iwould say is take care of
yourself.
Be sure to fill your cup so thatyou can actually pour into those
around you and meet the needs ofthose around you.
I think that's probably one ofthe most important things as
female leaders we can do.
SPEAKER_04 (01:06):
Okay.
I think it's a great piece ofadvice.
So last question What do youthink makes the Pay Tech Women
Leadership Summit such avaluable event for professionals
in payments and fintech?
SPEAKER_01 (01:16):
So it's been a few years since I've been at PayTech
Women.
I'm happy to be back.
It feels a bit like coming home,like a family reunion almost.
Um what I would say, Greg, isthis event, you've got women who
have gone before us, who havelearned so much and are willing
to share what they've learned.
And you have younger women intheir career or even mid-career
women who are eager to learn.
And so the energy around thatthirst for knowledge and the and
(01:40):
the connection with other womenis so palatable, palatable here
that it just makes it such avaluable event and such a good,
good use of time.
SPEAKER_04 (01:49):
Okay, great.
Thank you so much for your time.
Our next guest is MargaretWeikert.
SPEAKER_03 (01:54):
It's wonderful to be here.
Um, I'm Margaret Weikert.
I'm the CEO of the MorganWeikert group, and I've spent 30
years in the payments industryworking for companies like Bank
of America, uh, First Databefore it was SpyServe, and then
consulting firms includingAccenture and EY.
And then most recently, I wasthe chief product officer at the
(02:15):
Clearinghouse.
SPEAKER_04 (02:16):
Right, where we actually, you were on one of my
podcast episodes.
So it's great to meet you inperson.
Um, so quick question (02:21):
what's one piece of advice you'd share
with women in payments who wantto grow their influence and make
a bigger impact on the industry?
SPEAKER_03 (02:29):
So I think curiosity is one of the capabilities that
you can cultivate to learn moreabout your industry, whatever
part of it you're in, you canlearn about the technology in
your industry, the processes inyour industry, the business
context.
(02:50):
And use all of that to framewhatever your job is in a way
that connects to why arecustomers interested in what
you're doing?
Why are shareholders interestedin what you're doing?
And when you make presentationsin your leadership areas, you
think about both of thosequestions.
SPEAKER_04 (03:12):
Okay, I think that's great advice.
So, one last question.
What do you think makes thePayTech Women Leadership Summit
such a valuable event forprofessionals in payments in
FinTech?
SPEAKER_03 (03:21):
Well, it's really interesting because I have seen
the women who are leaders ofthis uh great event as mentors,
as teammates over decades.
Um, Diane uh vote Farrow was oneof my former bosses.
Kim Fitzsimmons was a colleague.
(03:44):
And Linda Perry I've known sinceshe was at Visa a long, long
time ago.
And the relationships thatpeople have cultivated at this
event around content and aroundperforming and doing well in
business, I think are very richrelationships that are deeper
(04:05):
because of the content, not justbecause of the relationship.
unknown (04:10):
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (04:10):
Well, Margaret, thank you so much for your time
today.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03 (04:13):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (04:14):
Our next guest is Rebecca Walden.
SPEAKER_05 (04:17):
I'm Rebecca Walden.
I currently serve as the head ofstrategic partnerships and
marketing operations for Corvia.
SPEAKER_04 (04:24):
What's one piece of advice you'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact as a leader?
SPEAKER_05 (04:31):
Number one would be deepen your relationships,
cultivate, right, newrelationships.
And then the people where youjust really click.
We all we all have that.
You just kind of get a feelingabout somebody there's mutual
interest, or maybe they haveachieved a goal that's part of
what you want for your careerfuture.
(04:53):
Invest the time.
Uh, get Zoom chats are great forthat.
Um, if you can't get together inperson.
Uh as you feel like you've gotcommon ground and mutual
interests.
I mean, there's an art to itbecause you don't want to seem
like you're being icky andtransactional.
Um, sure, friend them on youknow your personal social media
feeds, and and then you kind ofget a little more of a glimpse
(05:16):
of who they are.
Uh when business brings you totheir city, plan ahead.
Text them.
Can you meet for a drink?
Can you meet for breakfast?
Can you meet for dinner?
Um add value to them.
Uh as we get to know people,start thinking about what are
some connections I can offer tomake.
Uh that's going to make youstand out in their network.
(05:38):
And then there's just thissomething beautiful that happens
when you share your goals withthem and they share theirs with
you.
I think as humans, we'rehardwired just to want to help
each other.
Um so you'll you'll find thatfruitful development start with
that.
But it can't just be forgive mefor the direct way of saying it,
(06:01):
hiding behind, hey, let'sconnect on LinkedIn.
A direct message on LinkedInisn't gonna cut it.
Um can't hide behind email.
You need you need to make theeffort to really build and then
maintain that relationship,keeping in mind that it's got to
be a give and take or it's justa non-starter.
(06:23):
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (06:23):
I think that's a great piece of advice.
So, one last question.
What do you think makes thePayTech Women Leadership Summit
such a valuable event forprofessionals in payments and
fintech?
SPEAKER_05 (06:33):
That is a great question.
This is my fourth.
Uh, and it's the collegiality.
Uh, it's always hard.
I don't care how extroverted youare when you are the new kid at
an event.
Um, it gets easier as you havepeople you recognize.
But even now, if I were to onlyspeak to the people that I know,
(06:54):
what a missed opportunity.
Um taking an interest in othersbeing the first person to come
up, glance at the name tag,extend your hand.
Hey, I'm Rebecca.
Tell me, like I'm so happy tomeet you.
Tell me about you.
Um you just be surprised at whatyou learn.
And then somebody else walks byand what you just learned about
(07:16):
this person.
Y'all need to know each other.
Like that, that's the magic thatyou can't replicate on Zoom.
Uh so that would that would farand away be what I would say
folks should prioritize here andreally not just the summit, but
what makes any event special.
SPEAKER_04 (07:33):
Okay.
Well, Rebecca, thank you so muchfor your time.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02 (07:37):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (07:37):
Our next guest is Cindy Knowles.
SPEAKER_02 (07:40):
My name is Cindy Knowles.
I'm formerly with FIS.
I was uh head of uh businessadministration, which is a fancy
way of saying I was kind ofchief of staff for the president
of the organization at thattime.
Um I retired from FIS a coupleyears ago, but I'm heavily
involved in PayTech Women todayas one of their executive
coaches.
And I got into coaching probablyabout three years ago and just
(08:03):
loving it.
SPEAKER_04 (08:04):
Okay, great.
So, what's one piece of adviceyou'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact?
SPEAKER_02 (08:11):
Wow, so that's uh a broad question, but uh very easy
for me because near and dear inmy heart, of course, is
executive coaching now.
Um it's investing in themselvesand investing themselves, the
best way they can do that isbeing a part of this great
organization, networking,learning about all the things
available to them, staying freshin the industry, but investing
(08:33):
in themselves in terms of wherethey want to go next in their
career, understanding their why,um, fulfilling their purpose,
and and knowing that youintegrate your professional life
and your personal life, theythey make you a whole person.
So one area can influence theother.
So it's really not until youreally dig deep and start
investing in yourself that youcan make those great strides for
(08:54):
your future.
SPEAKER_04 (08:55):
Okay.
One final question.
What do you think makes Pay TechWomen Leadership Summit such a
valuable event for professionalsand payments?
SPEAKER_02 (09:03):
Oh my gosh.
Well, I've been with PayTechWomen for over 10 years now.
Uh, it might be even longer thanthat.
And when I started, we had abouta thousand members, and the
summits were probably about ahundred people.
Um now here we are, fastforward, over 7,000 members.
We've got over 700 women here,and it's just an incredible
place to, like I said before,network.
(09:24):
Um the guards are down.
It's it's like we're all workingfor competitors, and uh, we
might be fierce competitors outin the marketplace, but when we
come here, the walls come downand we're sharing, we're
learning, um, we're respectingeach other and you create these
long-lasting friendships thatkeep going and going.
(09:46):
So it's just a I can't sayenough about the organization.
It's just a fabulous, fabulousplace.
I haven't been here uh to asummit in over five years, and
um it's like old home week,seeing people that I hadn't seen
in a while.
You know, with COVID and otherissues along the way, we instead
of seeing somebody in a littlesquare, we're now seeing each
other in the world.
SPEAKER_04 (10:05):
And isn't it so much better than it's so much
wonderful?
SPEAKER_02 (10:08):
It's so wonderful, yes.
SPEAKER_04 (10:08):
Well, Cindy, thank you so much for your time today.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02 (10:11):
Thank you.
It's a pleasure meeting you.
SPEAKER_04 (10:13):
Our next guest is Melissa Desjardin.
SPEAKER_00 (10:16):
My name is Melissa Desjardin.
I'm a director at ProtivityConsulting.
SPEAKER_04 (10:21):
What's one piece of advice you'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact?
SPEAKER_00 (10:27):
So a piece of advice that was shared with me many
years ago and it stuck with meis to build your own personal
board of directors.
And so what that means is lookwithin your network and draw
from people that you know.
They could be friends,colleagues, clients, even, but
people in your network.
And that you can consider yourown personal board of directors,
(10:48):
people that you go to for adviceand counsel, people that you
trust, um, and people that willtell you the truth, um, even if
it's a hard truth sometimes, orif you're making a decision
about your career and you reallyneed to validate that decision
or have someone challenge you.
Um, I do have a group of peoplethat I consider my own personal
board of directors, and they'vecertainly challenged me through
the years to take risks to bebold.
(11:10):
Um, so I would encourage peoplein payments uh to look for that
board of directors and uh reallyleverage that, and then in turn
be an advisor or a you know aboard member for someone else as
well.
SPEAKER_04 (11:21):
Okay, I think that's great advice.
So, final question what do youthink makes the PayTech Women
Leadership Summit such avaluable event for professionals
in payments?
SPEAKER_00 (11:29):
Oh, it's so valuable because it gives us the
opportunity to build ournetwork, to meet new people, to
step outside of our comfortzone.
There are speaking opportunitiesthat people can take advantage
of.
But really, just that power ofnetworking, having
conversations, sitting down withsomeone new and asking them
questions, um, and then takingthat networking and building on
(11:51):
from it after the leadershipsummit, um, continuing to expand
that and develop thoserelationships.
SPEAKER_04 (11:57):
Do you have a suggestion on how people should
connect after the event?
SPEAKER_00 (12:00):
Well, I have found that LinkedIn is very helpful
just to stay connected in termsof, you know, when people are
posting different things thatyou know they're involved in,
whether it be other events orother activities they're you
know involved in, it givespeople the opportunity to get
that visibility and say, oh,you're going to be at this
conference in a few weeks, Iwill be there too.
Let's connect for coffee.
(12:21):
Um, so LinkedIn has been veryhelpful.
But beyond that, you know,remember what you talked about
with people at the leadershipsummit.
And if there's a topic thatreally resonated with you during
your particular conversation andsomething comes up a month, two
months later in the news relatedto that, send an article to that
contact and continue theconversation and really look to
(12:41):
cultivate those relationshipsand deepen uh those connections.
SPEAKER_04 (12:45):
Okay.
Well, Melissa, thank you so muchfor your time today.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00 (12:48):
Of course.
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_04 (12:50):
Our next guest is Laura Gibson Lamoth.
SPEAKER_06 (12:53):
My name is Laura Gibson Lamoth.
I am the executive director ofthe Georgia FinTech Academy, a
talent development initiative inthe University system of
Georgia, bringing together 26universities for fintech
education.
SPEAKER_04 (13:05):
Okay, great.
So, what's one piece of adviceyou'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact?
SPEAKER_06 (13:12):
Well, one piece of advice is kind of hard.
Um, I tend to pontificate, but Iwould say one of the biggest
pieces of advice that wasoffered to me is that connecting
and building a community and anetwork is so much more
important.
Your network is your net worth.
I love that saying, and I I'venow kind of adopted that uh
mentality and passed that on tostudents.
(13:33):
You know, for years within uhthe payments and banking
industry, it was definitelyharder to connect with uh a
community that didn'tnecessarily reflect who I am.
Um, there wasn't many leadersthat looked like me.
And so coming throughorganizations like PayTech Women
has offered uh a sense ofcommunity and a sense of
belonging, but then also accessto a lot of resources uh and
(13:55):
information to help peopleamplify their careers.
SPEAKER_04 (13:58):
Okay, one final question.
What do you think makes thePayTech Women Leadership Summit
such a valuable event forprofessionals and payments?
SPEAKER_06 (14:05):
Well, as a board member and executive committee
uh secretary this year, I'mreally excited about the summit
and how it's progressed over theyears.
I've been a member myselfpersonally for almost 12 and
kind of being a part of theleadership team and seeing the
behind-the-scenes efforts to puttogether uh such an amazing uh
agenda and day for a couple ofdays for our attendees.
(14:27):
It's not only bringing theexpertise and the technical um
knowledge to the table, it'sit's developing uh personal and
professional journeys forpeople, um, people to get access
to not only things that helppromote themselves as
individuals, but then providethem access to the thought
leadership and uh technicalexpertise as well.
(14:49):
So it's a marriage of bothpieces, I think, that help uh
build well-rounded talent forthe future.
And as we're all continuing onthis journey of continuous
learning, I think it's reallyimportant to make sure that
we're uh fresh and up to datewith the emerging trends in the
industry, um, and then makeourselves competitive in the and
(15:09):
very competitive market.
SPEAKER_04 (15:10):
Okay.
Well, thank you so much for yourtime.
I really appreciate you beinghere.
Thanks.
It's great to be here.
Our next guest is KathyKamayatech.
SPEAKER_07 (15:18):
I'm uh Katherine Kamayatech.
Kathy.
I am the founder and principalof Kamayatech Advisors and
Consulting and also the voicebehind Curiously Kathy.
Uh, I bring uh strategy,storytelling, and revenue to the
clients I work with.
And then under Curiously Kathy,I'm I celebrate curiosity as a
as a uh leadership power.
SPEAKER_04 (15:39):
Okay.
Well, I might know already knowthe answer to this question
based on that, but I'm gonna askanyway.
What's one piece of advice you'dshare with women in payments who
want to grow their influence andmake a bigger impact?
SPEAKER_07 (15:51):
Uh, really owning your personal banner.
Uh, your corporate banner willchange whether you change it or
it's changed for you.
And so really being true to yourpersonal banner, who you are,
what you bring to the table isuh vastly more important than
the corporate logo on your onyour banner at the time.
(16:12):
Okay.
SPEAKER_04 (16:12):
Final question
Women Leadership Summit such avaluable event for professionals
in payments?
SPEAKER_07 (16:18):
Oh, this one's a loaded one because I am I sit on
the board for PayTech Women.
I am also the co-chair for thesummit.
Uh, and so this agenda was alabor of love uh and a labor of
um appreciation to PayTech Womenand what they bring to the
ecosystem of payments, uh, theability to connect with women at
every level, uh, really havemeaningful conversations.
(16:41):
Uh, but that power of yes, thepower of yes that PayTech Women
brings in the women that jointhis community.
I was new to the paymentsindustry almost nine years ago,
and this was the organizationthat welcomed me, that taught
me, that allowed me to askquestions, that welcomed the
conversations at every level andevery part of what the what is
(17:04):
the payments ecosystem.
SPEAKER_04 (17:05):
Yeah, and it's been 20 years.
SPEAKER_07 (17:07):
20-year anniversary.
And so when you think of 2005 to2025 and how different the world
is, how different payments is,what transactions look like
today and and how they'veshifted, it's it's a world of
difference, but there's acontinuity line as well.
And I like to think that PayTech Women offers some of that
(17:28):
continuity within anever-changing uh environment
while also really creating aspace and a place for women to
feel safe, for the allies toreally come and help lift the
women uh in their ecosystem.
And uh really just that throughline of while we innovate, while
(17:51):
we uh compete as well, there isthe celebration of who we are
and what we bring to the table.
Okay.
SPEAKER_04 (17:58):
Well, Kathy, thank you so much for your time today.
I really appreciate you beinghere.
SPEAKER_07 (18:01):
Likewise, thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (18:03):
Our next guest is Naomi Donaldson.
SPEAKER_08 (18:06):
Hello, I am Naomi Donaldson.
I'm director of product atFISERV.
Okay, great.
SPEAKER_04 (18:12):
So, what's one piece of advice you'd share with women
in payments who want to growtheir influence and make a
bigger impact?
SPEAKER_08 (18:18):
Uh, I would definitely say find community.
Uh, PayTech Women is an amazingorganization.
It's one of severalorganizations uh that help women
in payments.
There's actually a women inpayments organization.
There, there's women in tech.
There's so many organizations.
Um, and and don't just limityourself to just to women's
organizations either, but getinvolved with community, uh,
(18:42):
volunteer, help put on uhevents.
Uh, and you know, you findyourself sometimes being asked
to lead a panel or be a speaker,and you know, you'll see your
brand um start to grow andflourish from that.
SPEAKER_04 (18:57):
Okay.
So, what do you think makes thePayTech Women Leadership Summit
such a valuable event forprofessionals in payments?
SPEAKER_08 (19:03):
Yeah, um, one thing I absolutely love about this
particular summit is that wehave so PayTech is payments and
technology, those things comingtogether, and it's part of
FinTech Financial ServicesTechnology coming together, two
very male-dominated industriescoming together.
And you have women specificallycoming together to not only talk
(19:25):
about the evolution of payments,you know, once upon a time it's
it's cash, it's check.
And now we talk about crypto andstable coin and you know, all of
these different ways you canpay, um, you know, from a
domestic economy to global, uh,to global commerce, a gentic
commerce we've been talkingabout right now.
But you have the ability tolearn more about these uh
(19:48):
evolving trends in the industry,uh, but then also some things
that are unique to us as women,balancing, learning, growing
your career in a family, youknow, um, and uh all of these
different things that are uniqueto women in this space.
Um, I just led a panel.
I'm on the panel with uh withtwo women executives at
(20:11):
competing organizations, but wecome together to talk about what
we're seeing in terms ofbuilding partnerships in this
space.
That is what you have here (20:19):
a safe space, a neutral ground to
come together to talk about theevolution of payments in our
respective um uh organizations,but also things that are unique
to our experience in thisindustry.
SPEAKER_04 (20:35):
So, Nayam, we thank you so much for being here and
doing this today.
SPEAKER_08 (20:38):
Pleasure speaking with you.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (20:40):
It's been a great day recording here at the Pay
Tech Women Leadership Summit inAtlanta.
A special thanks to all of theguests that are on the show
today, and a special thanks toour sponsored, Global Payments.
And again, thank you to all yourlisteners out there.
I appreciate your time as well,and until the next story.
Hello everyone and welcome to the Leaders in
Payments Podcast.
I'm your host, Greg Myers, andtoday we're podcasting from the
PayTech Women Leadership Summitin Atlanta, Georgia.
So this episode is going to becalled the 321 Podcast.
It's three questions, twominutes, and one impactful
statement from our guests.
Our guests today are going to bespeakers, executives that are at
(00:24):
the conference today.
So I want to give a specialshout out to our sponsor, Global
Payments.
So thank you for sponsoring thisepisode and on to the show.
Our first guest is ChrissyWagner.
SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
My name is Chrissy Wagner, and I'm the senior vice
president of GoToMarket at FIS.
SPEAKER_04 (00:40):
What's one piece of advice you'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact as a leader?
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
That's a great question, Greg.
I think women often neglecttheir own needs.
And I think that's true in lifeand in work.
So the one piece of advice Iwould say is take care of
yourself.
Be sure to fill your cup so thatyou can actually pour into those
around you and meet the needs ofthose around you.
I think that's probably one ofthe most important things as
female leaders we can do.
SPEAKER_04 (01:06):
Okay.
I think it's a great piece ofadvice.
So last question What do youthink makes the Pay Tech Women
Leadership Summit such avaluable event for professionals
in payments and fintech?
SPEAKER_01 (01:16):
So it's been a few years since I've been at PayTech
Women.
I'm happy to be back.
It feels a bit like coming home,like a family reunion almost.
Um what I would say, Greg, isthis event, you've got women who
have gone before us, who havelearned so much and are willing
to share what they've learned.
And you have younger women intheir career or even mid-career
women who are eager to learn.
And so the energy around thatthirst for knowledge and the and
(01:40):
the connection with other womenis so palatable, palatable here
that it just makes it such avaluable event and such a good,
good use of time.
SPEAKER_04 (01:49):
Okay, great.
Thank you so much for your time.
Our next guest is MargaretWeikert.
SPEAKER_03 (01:54):
It's wonderful to be here.
Um, I'm Margaret Weikert.
I'm the CEO of the MorganWeikert group, and I've spent 30
years in the payments industryworking for companies like Bank
of America, uh, First Databefore it was SpyServe, and then
consulting firms includingAccenture and EY.
And then most recently, I wasthe chief product officer at the
(02:15):
Clearinghouse.
SPEAKER_04 (02:16):
Right, where we actually, you were on one of my
podcast episodes.
So it's great to meet you inperson.
Um, so quick question (02:21):
what's one piece of advice you'd share
with women in payments who wantto grow their influence and make
a bigger impact on the industry?
SPEAKER_03 (02:29):
So I think curiosity is one of the capabilities that
you can cultivate to learn moreabout your industry, whatever
part of it you're in, you canlearn about the technology in
your industry, the processes inyour industry, the business
context.
(02:50):
And use all of that to framewhatever your job is in a way
that connects to why arecustomers interested in what
you're doing?
Why are shareholders interestedin what you're doing?
And when you make presentationsin your leadership areas, you
think about both of thosequestions.
SPEAKER_04 (03:12):
Okay, I think that's great advice.
So, one last question.
What do you think makes thePayTech Women Leadership Summit
such a valuable event forprofessionals in payments in
FinTech?
SPEAKER_03 (03:21):
Well, it's really interesting because I have seen
the women who are leaders ofthis uh great event as mentors,
as teammates over decades.
Um, Diane uh vote Farrow was oneof my former bosses.
Kim Fitzsimmons was a colleague.
(03:44):
And Linda Perry I've known sinceshe was at Visa a long, long
time ago.
And the relationships thatpeople have cultivated at this
event around content and aroundperforming and doing well in
business, I think are very richrelationships that are deeper
(04:05):
because of the content, not justbecause of the relationship.
unknown (04:10):
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (04:10):
Well, Margaret, thank you so much for your time
today.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03 (04:13):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (04:14):
Our next guest is Rebecca Walden.
SPEAKER_05 (04:17):
I'm Rebecca Walden.
I currently serve as the head ofstrategic partnerships and
marketing operations for Corvia.
SPEAKER_04 (04:24):
What's one piece of advice you'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact as a leader?
SPEAKER_05 (04:31):
Number one would be deepen your relationships,
cultivate, right, newrelationships.
And then the people where youjust really click.
We all we all have that.
You just kind of get a feelingabout somebody there's mutual
interest, or maybe they haveachieved a goal that's part of
what you want for your careerfuture.
(04:53):
Invest the time.
Uh, get Zoom chats are great forthat.
Um, if you can't get together inperson.
Uh as you feel like you've gotcommon ground and mutual
interests.
I mean, there's an art to itbecause you don't want to seem
like you're being icky andtransactional.
Um, sure, friend them on youknow your personal social media
feeds, and and then you kind ofget a little more of a glimpse
(05:16):
of who they are.
Uh when business brings you totheir city, plan ahead.
Text them.
Can you meet for a drink?
Can you meet for breakfast?
Can you meet for dinner?
Um add value to them.
Uh as we get to know people,start thinking about what are
some connections I can offer tomake.
Uh that's going to make youstand out in their network.
(05:38):
And then there's just thissomething beautiful that happens
when you share your goals withthem and they share theirs with
you.
I think as humans, we'rehardwired just to want to help
each other.
Um so you'll you'll find thatfruitful development start with
that.
But it can't just be forgive mefor the direct way of saying it,
(06:01):
hiding behind, hey, let'sconnect on LinkedIn.
A direct message on LinkedInisn't gonna cut it.
Um can't hide behind email.
You need you need to make theeffort to really build and then
maintain that relationship,keeping in mind that it's got to
be a give and take or it's justa non-starter.
(06:23):
Right.
SPEAKER_04 (06:23):
I think that's a great piece of advice.
So, one last question.
What do you think makes thePayTech Women Leadership Summit
such a valuable event forprofessionals in payments and
fintech?
SPEAKER_05 (06:33):
That is a great question.
This is my fourth.
Uh, and it's the collegiality.
Uh, it's always hard.
I don't care how extroverted youare when you are the new kid at
an event.
Um, it gets easier as you havepeople you recognize.
But even now, if I were to onlyspeak to the people that I know,
(06:54):
what a missed opportunity.
Um taking an interest in othersbeing the first person to come
up, glance at the name tag,extend your hand.
Hey, I'm Rebecca.
Tell me, like I'm so happy tomeet you.
Tell me about you.
Um you just be surprised at whatyou learn.
And then somebody else walks byand what you just learned about
(07:16):
this person.
Y'all need to know each other.
Like that, that's the magic thatyou can't replicate on Zoom.
Uh so that would that would farand away be what I would say
folks should prioritize here andreally not just the summit, but
what makes any event special.
SPEAKER_04 (07:33):
Okay.
Well, Rebecca, thank you so muchfor your time.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02 (07:37):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (07:37):
Our next guest is Cindy Knowles.
SPEAKER_02 (07:40):
My name is Cindy Knowles.
I'm formerly with FIS.
I was uh head of uh businessadministration, which is a fancy
way of saying I was kind ofchief of staff for the president
of the organization at thattime.
Um I retired from FIS a coupleyears ago, but I'm heavily
involved in PayTech Women todayas one of their executive
coaches.
And I got into coaching probablyabout three years ago and just
(08:03):
loving it.
SPEAKER_04 (08:04):
Okay, great.
So, what's one piece of adviceyou'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact?
SPEAKER_02 (08:11):
Wow, so that's uh a broad question, but uh very easy
for me because near and dear inmy heart, of course, is
executive coaching now.
Um it's investing in themselvesand investing themselves, the
best way they can do that isbeing a part of this great
organization, networking,learning about all the things
available to them, staying freshin the industry, but investing
(08:33):
in themselves in terms of wherethey want to go next in their
career, understanding their why,um, fulfilling their purpose,
and and knowing that youintegrate your professional life
and your personal life, theythey make you a whole person.
So one area can influence theother.
So it's really not until youreally dig deep and start
investing in yourself that youcan make those great strides for
(08:54):
your future.
SPEAKER_04 (08:55):
Okay.
One final question.
What do you think makes Pay TechWomen Leadership Summit such a
valuable event for professionalsand payments?
SPEAKER_02 (09:03):
Oh my gosh.
Well, I've been with PayTechWomen for over 10 years now.
Uh, it might be even longer thanthat.
And when I started, we had abouta thousand members, and the
summits were probably about ahundred people.
Um now here we are, fastforward, over 7,000 members.
We've got over 700 women here,and it's just an incredible
place to, like I said before,network.
(09:24):
Um the guards are down.
It's it's like we're all workingfor competitors, and uh, we
might be fierce competitors outin the marketplace, but when we
come here, the walls come downand we're sharing, we're
learning, um, we're respectingeach other and you create these
long-lasting friendships thatkeep going and going.
(09:46):
So it's just a I can't sayenough about the organization.
It's just a fabulous, fabulousplace.
I haven't been here uh to asummit in over five years, and
um it's like old home week,seeing people that I hadn't seen
in a while.
You know, with COVID and otherissues along the way, we instead
of seeing somebody in a littlesquare, we're now seeing each
other in the world.
SPEAKER_04 (10:05):
And isn't it so much better than it's so much
wonderful?
SPEAKER_02 (10:08):
It's so wonderful, yes.
SPEAKER_04 (10:08):
Well, Cindy, thank you so much for your time today.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02 (10:11):
Thank you.
It's a pleasure meeting you.
SPEAKER_04 (10:13):
Our next guest is Melissa Desjardin.
SPEAKER_00 (10:16):
My name is Melissa Desjardin.
I'm a director at ProtivityConsulting.
SPEAKER_04 (10:21):
What's one piece of advice you'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact?
SPEAKER_00 (10:27):
So a piece of advice that was shared with me many
years ago and it stuck with meis to build your own personal
board of directors.
And so what that means is lookwithin your network and draw
from people that you know.
They could be friends,colleagues, clients, even, but
people in your network.
And that you can consider yourown personal board of directors,
(10:48):
people that you go to for adviceand counsel, people that you
trust, um, and people that willtell you the truth, um, even if
it's a hard truth sometimes, orif you're making a decision
about your career and you reallyneed to validate that decision
or have someone challenge you.
Um, I do have a group of peoplethat I consider my own personal
board of directors, and they'vecertainly challenged me through
the years to take risks to bebold.
(11:10):
Um, so I would encourage peoplein payments uh to look for that
board of directors and uh reallyleverage that, and then in turn
be an advisor or a you know aboard member for someone else as
well.
SPEAKER_04 (11:21):
Okay, I think that's great advice.
So, final question what do youthink makes the PayTech Women
Leadership Summit such avaluable event for professionals
in payments?
SPEAKER_00 (11:29):
Oh, it's so valuable because it gives us the
opportunity to build ournetwork, to meet new people, to
step outside of our comfortzone.
There are speaking opportunitiesthat people can take advantage
of.
But really, just that power ofnetworking, having
conversations, sitting down withsomeone new and asking them
questions, um, and then takingthat networking and building on
(11:51):
from it after the leadershipsummit, um, continuing to expand
that and develop thoserelationships.
SPEAKER_04 (11:57):
Do you have a suggestion on how people should
connect after the event?
SPEAKER_00 (12:00):
Well, I have found that LinkedIn is very helpful
just to stay connected in termsof, you know, when people are
posting different things thatyou know they're involved in,
whether it be other events orother activities they're you
know involved in, it givespeople the opportunity to get
that visibility and say, oh,you're going to be at this
conference in a few weeks, Iwill be there too.
Let's connect for coffee.
(12:21):
Um, so LinkedIn has been veryhelpful.
But beyond that, you know,remember what you talked about
with people at the leadershipsummit.
And if there's a topic thatreally resonated with you during
your particular conversation andsomething comes up a month, two
months later in the news relatedto that, send an article to that
contact and continue theconversation and really look to
(12:41):
cultivate those relationshipsand deepen uh those connections.
SPEAKER_04 (12:45):
Okay.
Well, Melissa, thank you so muchfor your time today.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00 (12:48):
Of course.
Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_04 (12:50):
Our next guest is Laura Gibson Lamoth.
SPEAKER_06 (12:53):
My name is Laura Gibson Lamoth.
I am the executive director ofthe Georgia FinTech Academy, a
talent development initiative inthe University system of
Georgia, bringing together 26universities for fintech
education.
SPEAKER_04 (13:05):
Okay, great.
So, what's one piece of adviceyou'd share with women in
payments who want to grow theirinfluence and make a bigger
impact?
SPEAKER_06 (13:12):
Well, one piece of advice is kind of hard.
Um, I tend to pontificate, but Iwould say one of the biggest
pieces of advice that wasoffered to me is that connecting
and building a community and anetwork is so much more
important.
Your network is your net worth.
I love that saying, and I I'venow kind of adopted that uh
mentality and passed that on tostudents.
(13:33):
You know, for years within uhthe payments and banking
industry, it was definitelyharder to connect with uh a
community that didn'tnecessarily reflect who I am.
Um, there wasn't many leadersthat looked like me.
And so coming throughorganizations like PayTech Women
has offered uh a sense ofcommunity and a sense of
belonging, but then also accessto a lot of resources uh and
(13:55):
information to help peopleamplify their careers.
SPEAKER_04 (13:58):
Okay, one final question.
What do you think makes thePayTech Women Leadership Summit
such a valuable event forprofessionals and payments?
SPEAKER_06 (14:05):
Well, as a board member and executive committee
uh secretary this year, I'mreally excited about the summit
and how it's progressed over theyears.
I've been a member myselfpersonally for almost 12 and
kind of being a part of theleadership team and seeing the
behind-the-scenes efforts to puttogether uh such an amazing uh
agenda and day for a couple ofdays for our attendees.
(14:27):
It's not only bringing theexpertise and the technical um
knowledge to the table, it'sit's developing uh personal and
professional journeys forpeople, um, people to get access
to not only things that helppromote themselves as
individuals, but then providethem access to the thought
leadership and uh technicalexpertise as well.
(14:49):
So it's a marriage of bothpieces, I think, that help uh
build well-rounded talent forthe future.
And as we're all continuing onthis journey of continuous
learning, I think it's reallyimportant to make sure that
we're uh fresh and up to datewith the emerging trends in the
industry, um, and then makeourselves competitive in the and
(15:09):
very competitive market.
SPEAKER_04 (15:10):
Okay.
Well, thank you so much for yourtime.
I really appreciate you beinghere.
Thanks.
It's great to be here.
Our next guest is KathyKamayatech.
SPEAKER_07 (15:18):
I'm uh Katherine Kamayatech.
Kathy.
I am the founder and principalof Kamayatech Advisors and
Consulting and also the voicebehind Curiously Kathy.
Uh, I bring uh strategy,storytelling, and revenue to the
clients I work with.
And then under Curiously Kathy,I'm I celebrate curiosity as a
as a uh leadership power.
SPEAKER_04 (15:39):
Okay.
Well, I might know already knowthe answer to this question
based on that, but I'm gonna askanyway.
What's one piece of advice you'dshare with women in payments who
want to grow their influence andmake a bigger impact?
SPEAKER_07 (15:51):
Uh, really owning your personal banner.
Uh, your corporate banner willchange whether you change it or
it's changed for you.
And so really being true to yourpersonal banner, who you are,
what you bring to the table isuh vastly more important than
the corporate logo on your onyour banner at the time.
(16:12):
Okay.
SPEAKER_04 (16:12):
Final question
Women Leadership Summit such avaluable event for professionals
in payments?
SPEAKER_07 (16:18):
Oh, this one's a loaded one because I am I sit on
the board for PayTech Women.
I am also the co-chair for thesummit.
Uh, and so this agenda was alabor of love uh and a labor of
um appreciation to PayTech Womenand what they bring to the
ecosystem of payments, uh, theability to connect with women at
every level, uh, really havemeaningful conversations.
(16:41):
Uh, but that power of yes, thepower of yes that PayTech Women
brings in the women that jointhis community.
I was new to the paymentsindustry almost nine years ago,
and this was the organizationthat welcomed me, that taught
me, that allowed me to askquestions, that welcomed the
conversations at every level andevery part of what the what is
(17:04):
the payments ecosystem.
SPEAKER_04 (17:05):
Yeah, and it's been 20 years.
SPEAKER_07 (17:07):
20-year anniversary.
And so when you think of 2005 to2025 and how different the world
is, how different payments is,what transactions look like
today and and how they'veshifted, it's it's a world of
difference, but there's acontinuity line as well.
And I like to think that PayTech Women offers some of that
(17:28):
continuity within anever-changing uh environment
while also really creating aspace and a place for women to
feel safe, for the allies toreally come and help lift the
women uh in their ecosystem.
And uh really just that throughline of while we innovate, while
(17:51):
we uh compete as well, there isthe celebration of who we are
and what we bring to the table.
Okay.
SPEAKER_04 (17:58):
Well, Kathy, thank you so much for your time today.
I really appreciate you beinghere.
SPEAKER_07 (18:01):
Likewise, thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (18:03):
Our next guest is Naomi Donaldson.
SPEAKER_08 (18:06):
Hello, I am Naomi Donaldson.
I'm director of product atFISERV.
Okay, great.
SPEAKER_04 (18:12):
So, what's one piece of advice you'd share with women
in payments who want to growtheir influence and make a
bigger impact?
SPEAKER_08 (18:18):
Uh, I would definitely say find community.
Uh, PayTech Women is an amazingorganization.
It's one of severalorganizations uh that help women
in payments.
There's actually a women inpayments organization.
There, there's women in tech.
There's so many organizations.
Um, and and don't just limityourself to just to women's
organizations either, but getinvolved with community, uh,
(18:42):
volunteer, help put on uhevents.
Uh, and you know, you findyourself sometimes being asked
to lead a panel or be a speaker,and you know, you'll see your
brand um start to grow andflourish from that.
SPEAKER_04 (18:57):
Okay.
So, what do you think makes thePayTech Women Leadership Summit
such a valuable event forprofessionals in payments?
SPEAKER_08 (19:03):
Yeah, um, one thing I absolutely love about this
particular summit is that wehave so PayTech is payments and
technology, those things comingtogether, and it's part of
FinTech Financial ServicesTechnology coming together, two
very male-dominated industriescoming together.
And you have women specificallycoming together to not only talk
(19:25):
about the evolution of payments,you know, once upon a time it's
it's cash, it's check.
And now we talk about crypto andstable coin and you know, all of
these different ways you canpay, um, you know, from a
domestic economy to global, uh,to global commerce, a gentic
commerce we've been talkingabout right now.
But you have the ability tolearn more about these uh
(19:48):
evolving trends in the industry,uh, but then also some things
that are unique to us as women,balancing, learning, growing
your career in a family, youknow, um, and uh all of these
different things that are uniqueto women in this space.
Um, I just led a panel.
I'm on the panel with uh withtwo women executives at
(20:11):
competing organizations, but wecome together to talk about what
we're seeing in terms ofbuilding partnerships in this
space.
That is what you have here (20:19):
a safe space, a neutral ground to
come together to talk about theevolution of payments in our
respective um uh organizations,but also things that are unique
to our experience in thisindustry.
SPEAKER_04 (20:35):
So, Nayam, we thank you so much for being here and
doing this today.
SPEAKER_08 (20:38):
Pleasure speaking with you.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_04 (20:40):
It's been a great day recording here at the Pay
Tech Women Leadership Summit inAtlanta.
A special thanks to all of theguests that are on the show
today, and a special thanks toour sponsored, Global Payments.
And again, thank you to all yourlisteners out there.
I appreciate your time as well,and until the next story.
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