July 6, 2025 • 35 mins
What happens when the primary users of an industry's products aren't well-represented in its leadership? Serena Smith, Chief Client Officer at i2c, tackles this fundamental question in a fascinating exploration of women's influence in the payments ecosystem.
The stark reality? Women drive 85% of consumer purchases across categories but hold only 27% of C-suite positions in financial services. This disconnect creates a leadership opportunity that Serena has embraced throughout her remarkable career journey, which began in a bank's mailroom and led to executive roles spanning global payment operations.
Serena shares the pivotal risk that transformed her career trajectory - pitching a new remittance processing business directly to FIS's executive team when her position was threatened by an acquisition. This bold move not only saved her job but catapulted her career forward, embodying her philosophy that calculated risk-taking and authentic leadership are essential for success.
Her battle with cancer represents another transformative chapter, reshaping how she approaches leadership: "I'm not the same person I was before cancer. I'm stronger, wiser, more alive." This experience taught her to lead with purpose, gratitude, and a heightened awareness of what truly matters.
As payments become increasingly personalized, Serena emphasizes that tomorrow's successful payment solutions must adapt to consumers rather than the reverse. At i2c, she helps clients navigate this evolution through a flexible technology stack that supports global payment processing needs across 90+ countries.
For aspiring women leaders, Serena's advice is clear: own your story, recognize your unique perspective as strength, develop deep business knowledge, and both seek and provide mentorship. The future of payments needs diverse voices at the table, especially from those who understand consumer needs firsthand.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Leaders in Payments podcast,
where we talk to C-level leadersfrom across the payments
landscape.
We'll be discussing theproducts and services that
impact the payment space today,as well as trends and
predictions for the future ofpayments.
We will also hear stories fromour guests about their journeys
to the top.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Leaders in
Payments podcast.
I'm your host, greg Myers, andthis episode is part of our
Women Leaders in Payments month,something we do every year in
the month of July, and it's oneof my favorite times of the year
.
This year's theme is redefiningleadership, influence, impact
and innovation.
So those are some of the thingsyou're going to be hearing
about during the month of July.
So first, a special thank youto our sponsors.
(00:41):
Our title sponsor is WorldPay,our participating sponsors are
VisiPay and PayRock, and ourepisode sponsors are the
Clearinghouse and Genico andPaySafe.
So special thanks to thosecompanies.
So for this episode, I'm superexcited.
We have a very special guest,serena Smith, who is the Chief
Client Officer at I2C.
So, serena, thank you so muchfor being on the show today and
(01:04):
welcome to the Leaders inPayments podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, thank you, greg , and it's such an important
month for us here in paymentsand thanks for including me.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Absolutely.
So let's kick things off with alittle fun question to kind of
get going.
So if you could have dinnerwith any woman in history, past
or present, who would it be andwhy and what type of restaurant
would you go to?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Okay, the restaurant was the easy one.
Picking one woman was a littlebit harder for me.
So you know, as I thought aboutthat, margaret Thatcher is one
that I would pick.
You know those who don't knowher maybe she is the first
female and longest running primeminister of the UK.
The thing I loved about her isshe ran for office three times
(01:51):
before she actually became theprime minister, so I loved her
grit.
I love the fact that she nevergave up.
I also love that she was knownas the iron lady and she was
really hardheaded.
So if you get to know me forabout five minutes, you find out
that I'm hard-headed as well,and so I would just like to kind
of understand kind of where shegot her motivations from, how
(02:14):
she survived through it still isa male-dominated space that she
was in politics there and howthat worked for her.
I would just love to hear herstory and her journey and what
kept her on that path.
And look, I live in Texas andthis is the state for steaks and
I love steaks, and as I did alittle bit of research on her,
(02:37):
what I found was she lovedsteaks as well and she was high
protein, and so I would find aperfect steakhouse here in Texas
and that's where we would go.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
So, serena, if you don't mind, tell us a little bit
about your background and yourcareer, maybe just a snapshot of
your career background, whereyou grew up, where you studied
and what led you into payments.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
All right, awesome.
So I grew up in Georgia, justsouth of Atlanta, and when I
went to school, I went to schoolfor accounting.
I thought I wanted to be anaccountant, but as I finished up
my studies I very quicklyrealized that was not the path
for me.
Wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I went to work for a bank,
(03:17):
ncmb.
You may remember that they'renow part of Bank of America
through their variousacquisitions now part of Bank of
America through their variousacquisitions.
But I was working in the backoffice there at NCMB and I tell
everybody you either loveworking in a bank or you don't.
I loved it.
I also like to tell everybodythat I started out in the
mailroom, because that's closeto being true.
(03:38):
I started out in the remittanceprocessing area, opening mail,
and moved from there to QA andIP.
I remember pulling signaturecards for those who remember the
old paper signature cards thatwe had so I just embraced it.
I loved the operations, I lovedthe bank, I love the financial
(04:01):
industry and really startedworking my way up into different
positions, which led me to beable to transfer to St Louis and
then eventually get here toDallas, where I am today.
So I've been here for about 20years or so and through that
journey I started out in theback office but, you know,
(04:24):
slowly made my way to the frontoffice by managing businesses.
So, through the variousacquisitions that happened that
we're all familiar with here inthe FI space and payment space,
eventually my company, which wasAurum Technology at the time,
got bought by FIS and I had 16years there where I was very
(04:46):
blessed with being able to workin various positions, whether
that was running the debitbusiness, which I did for a
period of time I actually stoodup our chief client office that
is there still today and thenthe last three years there I
worked in our internationalpayment space, so I was
responsible for all ofinternational payments, which
(05:09):
was all payments outside of theUS as well as real time payments
globally, what really helped meto grow in different parts of
my leadership.
It gave me very goodexperiences through different
parts of the organization, butafter 16 years it was time to do
something a little bitdifferent, and so that
(05:30):
eventually led me here to I2C,where I am today.
I've been here for about threeand a half years.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
You know what I?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
would say is I love payments and I've been very
blessed along the way as I'vebeen able to do various things.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Great.
So another fun question alongthe way, as I've been able to do
various things.
Great.
So another fun question Ifyou're going to be at a
conference and they're invitingyou up on stage and you have
your hype song, what would thathype song be?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I actually love this question.
The song that I would pick isBeliever by Imagine Dragons, and
the reason that I would pickthat is because, if you listen
to the lyrics, that I would pickthat is because if you listen
to the lyrics, it talks abouthow you're shaped by your
experiences, and the lyricssuggest that, although it talks
(06:14):
about pain, pain is somethingthat, or suffering, is something
that everybody's going toexperience and it leads towards
transformation that we gothrough and it kind of shapes
who we are.
I also love that it talks aboutempowerment and it helps forge
our resilience and our identitythat we have, and ultimately the
(06:37):
song implies that true strengthand clarity come from enduring
and overcoming adversity.
And so, as I think about mycareer, I think about just my
life experiences.
One, I just love the song, buttwo, I like that it kind of
speaks to a lot of us and howwe're all going to go through
(06:59):
stuff, whether that's personalor career-wise, and that shapes
who we ultimately become, and sothat's why I would pick that.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Okay, yeah, it's a great song.
Love that song.
So, if you don't mind, tell usa little bit about your role at
I2C, kind of maybe a littleabout what I2C does, what your
role is and what excites youabout your role there.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Okay, so I'll start with what I2C does first.
So when you think about I2C, Iwould say that we are the best
kept secret in the payment space.
We've been around for 20 plusyears, and when you think about
I2C, think about card issuingand all of the services that go
around card as well, as we'verecently deployed a payments hub
(07:45):
and core banking solutions.
So when you think about thoseservices and products that the
FI space is really looking toinvest in and they need for
their organizations, i2c reallyhas the tech of the future that
helps them to accomplish that,has the tech of the future that
(08:06):
helps them to accomplish that.
The other thing that I'llmention about I2C, and the thing
that really brought me to thecompany, was our tech stack.
So we have a tech stack thatcan move around the world with
our clients.
So we have a number of fintechpartners that have global
payment processing needs that weare providing the services for.
(08:27):
So we have customers that arein 90 plus different countries
on the same tech stack with thesame experience that they're
providing to their consumers, nomatter where they are around
the globe, and that, to me, isthe most exciting thing about
I2C.
Now, what I do.
Here is my job as the chiefclient officer is I actually
(08:52):
lead our global accountmanagement team and our
implementation team, so theeasiest way to describe it is I
am responsible for ensuring,after the client is sold, that
that experience that they havewith I2C is a positive one.
So we're engaged with thepartnership in whole, making
(09:14):
sure that we understand what ourcustomers need.
They understand what we canprovide and we work together to
deploy that for them.
That's the easiest way todescribe it.
What I would also say is youknow, when you think about
what's most exciting is you knowthe change that's happening in
(09:35):
the market, and so when we wereworking with our clients, you
know part of this is alsounderstanding, like how they're
adapting.
You know it's not just howwe're adapting, but how are we
adapting our products to meettheir needs, and so when we're
working with our clients, Ithink they're one of the best
sources of information on thechange that's happening in the
(09:57):
market or what they're lookingto deliver from a consumer
standpoint, and so one of thethings that I love is we're not
hindered by a lot of legacytechnology, so when our
customers have something thatthey want to deploy to meet the
new, whatever that is in themarket.
I2c has the flexibility inorder to deliver that and part
(10:21):
of my role is to make sure Iunderstand what that is and how
I2C can provide those solutionsto them.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Okay, great Thanks for sharing that.
So let's talk a little bitabout leadership.
So, as you well know,leadership is evolving.
Every day, every year, everydecade.
Leadership is changing.
So what do you think leadershipmeans today and sort of, how do
you embody that?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah.
So I think you know, when Ithink about modern leadership,
it really is about beingadaptable and being authentic.
So it's less about top-downdecision-making and it's more
about listening, learning,uplifting others and also
understanding.
I think sometimes we forgetabout that last part, and I
(11:09):
think that's such an importantpart for us.
You know, I've always tried tolead by example.
You know, I try to bringclarity into what we're doing.
Why we're doing that, buildingtrust and really just showing up
for people, whether that's ourclients or our teams and showing
(11:29):
up in a way that's bothstrategic but also human.
We're people.
At the end of the day, we'rejust all people trying to get a
particular job done.
Modern leadership for me ismore about creating a culture
where others can lead.
You know, it's not just I'm aleader today and I'm always
(11:50):
going to be a leader.
Part of our job is to helpothers feel empowered.
They need to feel empowered toinnovate, speak up and challenge
what we do, because that's howwe become better.
And today is such a differentworkplace than it was whenever I
first started out.
So most of our staff are remote, so there's flexibility that
(12:14):
comes with that, but there'salso challenges that come with
that.
So creating those relationshipswith people that are all spread
out, it does require you to beintentional and available, and
so that's something that I alsotry to do all the time
intentionally work with people,engage with them and make myself
(12:35):
available.
And you know, the last thingI'll just mention is in this new
world of AI.
I spent a lot of time justtrying to understand, like, what
does that mean?
What's the applicability forthat to us?
How do we pull that in?
Because there's so many greatthings sometimes scary, but so
many great things that arehappening with AI.
(12:56):
It's how do we make our jobsbetter and easier, and also not
just for our staff, but for ourclients as well.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Well, during your career, was there a decision or
a defining moment that reallystands out?
I call them like the aha moment, like really made a difference
in, maybe, your career.
That's that one decision orthat one moment in time.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
So I think there were really two and I'll walk
through both of those.
So the first one is I'm not thesame person that I was before
cancer.
So I'm stronger, I'm wiser, I'mmore alive.
I look at things differentlythan I did before I went through
(13:41):
that process, thingsdifferently than I did before I
went through that process.
That entire experience reallyreshaped me and how I view the
world moving forward.
So I've learned to reallycherish, you know, the quiet
moments, to speak with purposeand to live with just fierce
gratitude.
And you know this is really mysecond chance and I'm trying to
(14:04):
live it to the fullest extentnow, having gone through that
experience.
It really helped me to find myvoice and courage.
So I'm not the same leader thatI was before I went through that
and I think the decision thatreally changed my career in a
different way.
So I mentioned a little bit atthe beginning I worked for a
(14:27):
company called Aurum Technology.
We got bought by FIS and reallyquickly after we were bought
they also bought a companycalled Intercept.
So now you had Aurum andIntercept, who basically did the
exact same things.
And at that point I was runningour central region and I looked
(14:48):
around and guess what, these IPmanagers, which I was regional
managers, were a dime a dozen.
So I'm looking around and I'mthinking, yeah, all of us can't
stay with what we have, so Ineeded to do something really
different.
I needed to reinvent myself, andso I still can't believe I did
(15:08):
it but what I did was I kind offed off of my previous
experience with remittance inthe back office.
I put together a business planto launch remittance processing
at FIS.
I actually set up a meetingwith our entire executive team
at FIS.
(15:29):
At the time we were allheadquartered in, or they were
headquartered in, orlando.
I flew to Orlando.
They all showed up for themeeting.
So if you can imagine, you'vegot Gary Norcross and the rest
of the team, I think they wereshocked at like what is this
girl coming in to tell me?
Like, what is she doing?
So they all showed up to see,you know, to hear what I wanted
(15:53):
to present.
I pitched them my idea and theyallowed me to move forward.
And so just in a few shortmonths after that, I'm leading
our remit division.
I've sold our largest accountand I think it's still the
largest account they have at FIStoday, and now we're
(16:16):
implementing it.
So that to me, I think, was thedecision and the experience
that really shaped who you know,my career as I started to
evolve.
Because then, guess what,Everybody knew who I was, the
executive team knew who I was Iwas able to go launch this new
division.
(16:36):
It became very successful and,you know, without that I think I
would have been one of the manyIP leaders who didn't make it
through.
You know that acquisition.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
So, would you say, the moral of that story is be
willing to take chances.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Love it.
So what's something that youbelieve female leaders bring to
the table that our industryneeds more of?
Speaker 3 (17:05):
So I would say the top three things that come to
mind are really empathy,perspective and a collaborative
mindset.
I think there's an approach tosolving problems that requires
you know balancing vision withcontext.
And in a space like payments,which is becoming more consumer
(17:26):
driven and experience led, thesequalities aren't just soft
qualities, they're strategicqualities that we all need to
embrace.
So, per TechCrunch, in the US,women account for 85 percent of
the purchases that are madeacross various categories 85% of
(17:47):
the purchases that are madeacross various categories.
Yet when you look at women inthe financial industry, we make
up 52% of the total headcount.
However, only 27% of women arein C-suite roles.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
So when you think about the users so we're the
primary users.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
However you think about the leaders in this space,
we're the minority.
Okay, so I've always beenfascinated by the fact that
women are the primary users, yetmost of them are designed by
men.
Yet most of them are designedby men.
So I'll tell you a quick story.
(18:24):
So years ago, I hosted TomPeters.
He was the author of the LittleBig Things and he told a story
of how men and women shop.
Man goes to the mall to buy ablack pair of pants.
He goes to the store that heknows he likes, he buys the
black pair of pants and he goesto the store that he knows he
likes, he buys the black pair ofpants and he leaves the mall.
(18:45):
A woman goes to the mall to buya black pair of pants and she
goes to, you know, multiplestores.
She's got to look at heroptions, and I can relate to all
this.
She has to look at her options.
She tries them on and on.
You know, as we're going alongthe way, we're going to buy two
shirts, a pair of earrings,maybe a purse and some shoes
(19:06):
before we ever get to ouroriginal goal, which was to buy
the black pants.
And so when you think about howdifferent we are from a
shopping perspective.
You know you got to think aboutthe tools and the mechanisms
and the experiences that we'recreating.
So now that was before 2020.
And I know things have changeda bit since then, you know, and
(19:30):
more and more is done online,but I think you know the same
premise of how we're differentand how we approach it is
exactly the same and so you know.
I think, as we think about howwomen really influence, we have
to remember that women are themajority users of a lot of these
products that we are defining,and we have to keep that in mind
(19:53):
.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Okay, well, I am definitely the man that goes to
the mall to buy the black pantsand runs out the door as fast as
possible.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
You and my husband both.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Oh, that's funny.
So let's talk about innovationand influence.
So, as you know, and you'vementioned it, this payment space
is just incredibly fastchanging and moving.
So how do you stay innovativeas a leader?
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Yeah, I think you have to stay grounded.
So I work really hard at juststaying grounded, being updated
by listening to our clients, theteams that I have around me and
the market.
Innovation isn't always aboutchasing trends, but it's about
anticipating the real needs andremoving friction from that.
(20:44):
So the reason I moved to I2C isthat our platform was designed
for just that the flexibilitythat allows us to evolve as the
market and our clients do.
That mindset influences how Ilead.
I've got to stay curious, whichI love.
I love the payments industry.
(21:05):
It's always changing.
I'm always curious about who'sdeveloping what next, or what
that product looks like or howit works.
I'm a super user for a lot ofdifferent things because I want
to just experience that and myteam will tell you.
I ask a lot of questions so youknow everything that we do.
(21:27):
It's always you know.
What's the benefit for that,why are we doing that, what's
the impact, what does that looklike?
You've got to question bydefault.
Just don't take things at facevalue.
You've got to understand themand I encourage people to really
experiment, right?
I mean, a lot of times leadersaren't open to allowing their
(21:50):
folks to take chances and youknow, as you heard from my story
early on, I'm all about takingrisks.
Let's understand what that risk.
You know what are therepercussions for that.
Can we overcome them?
If the answer is yes, let'smove it forward and let's see
what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Okay, so what's one change or trend in the industry
that you're really payingattention to right now?
Speaker 3 (22:13):
It's really around the continued personalization
and payments.
So consumers, especially theyounger generation, expect the
products to adapt to them moreso than any other time in our
history.
So if you think about it 25years ago, you know consumers
(22:33):
had no say in the paymentsproducts that were being
developed.
The bank, would you know?
Banks gave us ATMs.
Bank gave us digital banking.
You took what they gave us.
Banks gave us ATMs.
Bank gave us digital banking.
You took what they gave us.
Today there are tons of optionsand consumers are really
driving that innovation.
You know, when we did our recenttop-of-the-wallet study.
(22:55):
It shows that rewards andcookie-cutter offers alone
aren't enough anymore.
What's driving loyalty isflexibility, control and
tailoring to meet your needs.
I'm a sucker for that.
All day long you give mesomething that meets my needs
and makes it easy.
I'm all in for that.
(23:15):
And that's really where ITCthrives helping issuers really
deliver those experiences thatare relevant, scalable and fast
to market.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Yeah, and you mentioned something there.
I have a 21-year-old daughterwho everything is on the phone
right Rarely is she in front ofa computer and if there's any
friction, if there's anythingthat makes it a challenge no
matter what it is, butespecially financial things she
just moves on to the next thing.
I mean she's not going to sitthere and try to figure it out,
right.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
That's right.
Yeah, it's typical, and it getseven worse as we look at what's
the new generation, Gen Alpha,Is that the new one?
So you know I look at mygranddaughter, she's 11.
She loves to come over herebecause she likes to utilize my
phone and, to your point, if sheruns into an ad or something
(24:08):
that you know isn't working, sheimmediately Gigi, can I
download this other thing,Because she's done with that
application, she's ready to moveon to the next one.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Absolutely.
It's crazy.
So, when you think about womenleaders, how can they influence
the future direction of ourindustry?
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Yeah.
So as I previously mentioned,you know the TechCrunch study,
women are making 85 percent ofthe primary purchasing that they
do in their households.
So when you think about that,if we're the ultimate majority
user of payments.
More women should be makingdecisions around what's being
(24:49):
built and deployed in themarketplace.
We need more women in productshaping, that strategy, the
product design and theinvestment decision.
Women leaders we're uniquelypositioned to advocate for more
inclusivity and accessibility offinancial tools such as, you
know, the new fintechs that aretrying to meet the underserved
(25:13):
market.
And our voices also challengethe legacy thinking.
You know, we need to be brave,we need to be brave, we need to
be courageous, we need to beopen to sharing our thoughts,
because we all have a voice andwe need to make sure that we use
that.
So, when we lead with bothinnovation and empathy, we
(25:34):
create better outcomes for users, companies and the communities.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Okay, let's switch gears a little bit, really
pushing mentors, being a mentorand also looking for mentors,
(26:10):
right.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
So I think we all have a role to play with that,
and one of the things I wouldencourage women is, when you're,
you should have multiplementors, and mentors should be
men and women, so not just womenhelping women.
I think that's very important,but because it's still a space
(26:34):
where women are still theminority when it comes to
leadership positions, we need tohave men that are also mentors
to help us understand howthey're thinking as we move up
the ladder, and I think that'sbeen critical for me as well not
only having women mentors, buthaving men mentors, and so I
encourage everybody that I talkto and work with to have both as
(26:55):
well.
As you know, don't just be amentee, you need to be a mentor.
We all need to be pulling upthose that are coming behind us.
But I will tell you, the onewoman that immediately comes to
mind as you asked me thisquestion is a lady Janice Gowers
.
She was one of the first femalemanagers that I ever had, and
(27:21):
she actually very start of mycareer, as I'm starting to grow
in leadership positions.
Not only was she able, or shetried, to guide me, but she also
gave me opportunities where shesaw more in me than what I saw
in myself, than what I saw inmyself.
(27:41):
She gave me opportunities forroles which, quite frankly, I
don't know that I was ready for,but she believed that I was
ready for, and so over time mycareer actually excelled past
her role.
But her and I became friendsthat could never be replaced.
(28:04):
So not only was she my mentor,but she was also my friend, and
without her I also don't think Iwould be where I am today.
But there are so many womenthat have influenced my life and
career.
She's the one that stands outbecause she was at the very
beginning of that and she reallyhelped encourage me as I was
(28:25):
growing.
It's difficult to narrow downthat list, but I really admire
women who are writing their ownstories, not following the
status quo, not trying to belike someone else, not trying to
play someone else's game, andthey're having the courage to
take risk.
(28:46):
I mean, what's the worst that'sgoing to happen?
Speaker 1 (28:48):
You know when I flew to Orlando.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
the worst that was going to happen is they said no,
so what did I have to lose?
It's you know, it's all abouttaking risk and utilizing your
voice to do that.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
One thing I'd like to double click on the mentorship
thing, and I think people feellike there has to be this
structured program of mentorship.
And I think it's kind of an oldschool way of thinking, right,
where you relied on your companythat you worked for and a lot
of big companies have programs,but there's also a lot of medium
and small companies in ourspace that they don't have
formal mentorship programs,right.
(29:21):
But I think with today'stechnology, people like LinkedIn
and other ways to communicatewith people, I feel like there's
like it's much easier to findmentors.
So just kind of curious yourthoughts on that.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
So it's interesting that you brought that up,
because the structuredmentorship programs that I've
been a part of haven't worked aswell as the unstructured ones.
So whenever you have the settime and you're kind of working
with somebody and it's veryformal, yeah, you can get out a
(29:56):
little bit out of it, they canget out a little bit out of it.
But for me, mentorship is youhave to develop a relationship
with them.
They have to get to know you,you have to get to know them.
You develop that over time andtrust and it's you know.
To me it becomes more criticalto your success when it is
unstructured, because now you'vedeveloped this resource that
(30:19):
you have where you can go andtalk to them at any time.
You can run things by them.
I haven't met one woman or manwho I've worked with that hasn't
appreciated that or taken thecall whenever I've given that to
them.
I will also say that there'stons of organizations for women,
like PayTech Women, which I wason the board of for several
(30:42):
years.
That does offer ability to be apart of a mentor program,
structured and unstructured.
So they have a database of womenwho you can look at and you can
actually reach out to themdirectly to see if they would be
your mentor.
And what's important, as you'relooking for a mentor, for me
(31:03):
was finding people above andbelow you, because they have
different perspectives, as wellas finding people in the role
that you want to move to, sothat they can help you
understand what that roleactually looks like.
So what I would encourageeveryone who's listening to this
is don't be afraid to ask.
(31:25):
Lots of people want to bementors but they don't really
know how.
They don't know how to likeapproach that.
Or you know they I wouldn'tcall you, greg, and say, hey,
can I be your mentor?
Right?
But you know, a lot of peoplemight feel intimidated to say,
you know, to call you and say,would you be mine?
And so let's don't be afraid todo that and let's make sure
(31:48):
that we have lots of differentpeople we're reaching out to at
lots of different levels to giveus a really rounded view.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
This is maybe a similar question, but curious
what your answer will be.
If you could give the nextgeneration of female leaders in
our space just one piece ofadvice, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Well, hopefully you've learned in the last 20,
30 minutes.
I can't give one piece ofadvice.
I have multiple things.
So I would start with you haveto own your own story.
It's your journey, yours alone.
You have to own it.
Your perspective is yourstrength.
Don't let anyone diminish thator fit you into a mold.
(32:29):
Learn the business that you'rein.
I cannot stress this one enoughUnderstanding the why behind
decisions gives you both powerand credibility.
This is so important.
And finally, what we've beentalking about, greg you have to
(32:50):
find mentors and become one.
The next generation is watchingus and how we show up.
And leadership isn't just aboutyour life.
It's about the impact that youmake on others.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Well, we're going to wrap up with one more fun
question.
So when you look at your phone,what app do you use the most?
That is not business relatedand why.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
This is a very embarrassing question to answer.
I will start by saying I'mtotally addicted to my phone.
I'm always on my phone but, toyour point, it's not answering
your question.
I'm always checking email.
I'm always on Teams.
I'm always doing businessrelated stuff.
I'm right now playing a lotwith AI.
(33:35):
I'm trying to understand whatsome of the tools are, what
works, what doesn't work.
So most used app.
So I will tell you so at night.
Okay, after I've been addictedto my phone all day, all of the
business stuff I spent aboutfive minutes on social media and
then I have this little puzzlegame on my phone and I will play
(33:59):
that until I unwind from theday and I'm ready to go to sleep
.
So yeah, it's a little game,but I have on my phone.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
That's great.
That's great Glad you sharedthat.
So we're going to wrap up theshow.
I just want to make sure thatwe've covered everything you
wanted to.
Is there anything else you'dlike to add before we wrap up
the show?
Speaker 3 (34:20):
I just want to thank you, greg.
I've had a lot of fun talkingto you.
I'm so excited about July andwhat you do here for women and I
would just encourage everybodylistening to this, male or
female.
Let's just lift everybody up.
Let's embrace what's happeningin the payments market and I
can't wait to see what's next.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Okay, great, I think that's a great way to close out.
So, serena, thank you so muchfor your time.
I know it's very valuable, so Ireally appreciate you being
here today.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
And to all your listeners out there.
I thank you as well.
Until the next story.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Thank you for joining us this week on the Leaders in
Payments podcast.
Make sure you visit our websiteat leadersinpaymentscom, where
you can subscribe to the showand where you'll find our show
notes.
If you enjoyed listening,please share on your social
channels as well.
Welcome to the Leaders in Payments podcast,
where we talk to C-level leadersfrom across the payments
landscape.
We'll be discussing theproducts and services that
impact the payment space today,as well as trends and
predictions for the future ofpayments.
We will also hear stories fromour guests about their journeys
to the top.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Leaders in
Payments podcast.
I'm your host, greg Myers, andthis episode is part of our
Women Leaders in Payments month,something we do every year in
the month of July, and it's oneof my favorite times of the year
.
This year's theme is redefiningleadership, influence, impact
and innovation.
So those are some of the thingsyou're going to be hearing
about during the month of July.
So first, a special thank youto our sponsors.
(00:41):
Our title sponsor is WorldPay,our participating sponsors are
VisiPay and PayRock, and ourepisode sponsors are the
Clearinghouse and Genico andPaySafe.
So special thanks to thosecompanies.
So for this episode, I'm superexcited.
We have a very special guest,serena Smith, who is the Chief
Client Officer at I2C.
So, serena, thank you so muchfor being on the show today and
(01:04):
welcome to the Leaders inPayments podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, thank you, greg , and it's such an important
month for us here in paymentsand thanks for including me.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Absolutely.
So let's kick things off with alittle fun question to kind of
get going.
So if you could have dinnerwith any woman in history, past
or present, who would it be andwhy and what type of restaurant
would you go to?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Okay, the restaurant was the easy one.
Picking one woman was a littlebit harder for me.
So you know, as I thought aboutthat, margaret Thatcher is one
that I would pick.
You know those who don't knowher maybe she is the first
female and longest running primeminister of the UK.
The thing I loved about her isshe ran for office three times
(01:51):
before she actually became theprime minister, so I loved her
grit.
I love the fact that she nevergave up.
I also love that she was knownas the iron lady and she was
really hardheaded.
So if you get to know me forabout five minutes, you find out
that I'm hard-headed as well,and so I would just like to kind
of understand kind of where shegot her motivations from, how
(02:14):
she survived through it still isa male-dominated space that she
was in politics there and howthat worked for her.
I would just love to hear herstory and her journey and what
kept her on that path.
And look, I live in Texas andthis is the state for steaks and
I love steaks, and as I did alittle bit of research on her,
(02:37):
what I found was she lovedsteaks as well and she was high
protein, and so I would find aperfect steakhouse here in Texas
and that's where we would go.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
So, serena, if you don't mind, tell us a little bit
about your background and yourcareer, maybe just a snapshot of
your career background, whereyou grew up, where you studied
and what led you into payments.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
All right, awesome.
So I grew up in Georgia, justsouth of Atlanta, and when I
went to school, I went to schoolfor accounting.
I thought I wanted to be anaccountant, but as I finished up
my studies I very quicklyrealized that was not the path
for me.
Wasn't sure what I wanted to do, so I went to work for a bank,
(03:17):
ncmb.
You may remember that they'renow part of Bank of America
through their variousacquisitions now part of Bank of
America through their variousacquisitions.
But I was working in the backoffice there at NCMB and I tell
everybody you either loveworking in a bank or you don't.
I loved it.
I also like to tell everybodythat I started out in the
mailroom, because that's closeto being true.
(03:38):
I started out in the remittanceprocessing area, opening mail,
and moved from there to QA andIP.
I remember pulling signaturecards for those who remember the
old paper signature cards thatwe had so I just embraced it.
I loved the operations, I lovedthe bank, I love the financial
(04:01):
industry and really startedworking my way up into different
positions, which led me to beable to transfer to St Louis and
then eventually get here toDallas, where I am today.
So I've been here for about 20years or so and through that
journey I started out in theback office but, you know,
(04:24):
slowly made my way to the frontoffice by managing businesses.
So, through the variousacquisitions that happened that
we're all familiar with here inthe FI space and payment space,
eventually my company, which wasAurum Technology at the time,
got bought by FIS and I had 16years there where I was very
(04:46):
blessed with being able to workin various positions, whether
that was running the debitbusiness, which I did for a
period of time I actually stoodup our chief client office that
is there still today and thenthe last three years there I
worked in our internationalpayment space, so I was
responsible for all ofinternational payments, which
(05:09):
was all payments outside of theUS as well as real time payments
globally, what really helped meto grow in different parts of
my leadership.
It gave me very goodexperiences through different
parts of the organization, butafter 16 years it was time to do
something a little bitdifferent, and so that
(05:30):
eventually led me here to I2C,where I am today.
I've been here for about threeand a half years.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
You know what I?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
would say is I love payments and I've been very
blessed along the way as I'vebeen able to do various things.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Great.
So another fun question alongthe way, as I've been able to do
various things.
Great.
So another fun question Ifyou're going to be at a
conference and they're invitingyou up on stage and you have
your hype song, what would thathype song be?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
I actually love this question.
The song that I would pick isBeliever by Imagine Dragons, and
the reason that I would pickthat is because, if you listen
to the lyrics, that I would pickthat is because if you listen
to the lyrics, it talks abouthow you're shaped by your
experiences, and the lyricssuggest that, although it talks
(06:14):
about pain, pain is somethingthat, or suffering, is something
that everybody's going toexperience and it leads towards
transformation that we gothrough and it kind of shapes
who we are.
I also love that it talks aboutempowerment and it helps forge
our resilience and our identitythat we have, and ultimately the
(06:37):
song implies that true strengthand clarity come from enduring
and overcoming adversity.
And so, as I think about mycareer, I think about just my
life experiences.
One, I just love the song, buttwo, I like that it kind of
speaks to a lot of us and howwe're all going to go through
(06:59):
stuff, whether that's personalor career-wise, and that shapes
who we ultimately become, and sothat's why I would pick that.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Okay, yeah, it's a great song.
Love that song.
So, if you don't mind, tell usa little bit about your role at
I2C, kind of maybe a littleabout what I2C does, what your
role is and what excites youabout your role there.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Okay, so I'll start with what I2C does first.
So when you think about I2C, Iwould say that we are the best
kept secret in the payment space.
We've been around for 20 plusyears, and when you think about
I2C, think about card issuingand all of the services that go
around card as well, as we'verecently deployed a payments hub
(07:45):
and core banking solutions.
So when you think about thoseservices and products that the
FI space is really looking toinvest in and they need for
their organizations, i2c reallyhas the tech of the future that
helps them to accomplish that,has the tech of the future that
(08:06):
helps them to accomplish that.
The other thing that I'llmention about I2C, and the thing
that really brought me to thecompany, was our tech stack.
So we have a tech stack thatcan move around the world with
our clients.
So we have a number of fintechpartners that have global
payment processing needs that weare providing the services for.
(08:27):
So we have customers that arein 90 plus different countries
on the same tech stack with thesame experience that they're
providing to their consumers, nomatter where they are around
the globe, and that, to me, isthe most exciting thing about
I2C.
Now, what I do.
Here is my job as the chiefclient officer is I actually
(08:52):
lead our global accountmanagement team and our
implementation team, so theeasiest way to describe it is I
am responsible for ensuring,after the client is sold, that
that experience that they havewith I2C is a positive one.
So we're engaged with thepartnership in whole, making
(09:14):
sure that we understand what ourcustomers need.
They understand what we canprovide and we work together to
deploy that for them.
That's the easiest way todescribe it.
What I would also say is youknow, when you think about
what's most exciting is you knowthe change that's happening in
(09:35):
the market, and so when we wereworking with our clients, you
know part of this is alsounderstanding, like how they're
adapting.
You know it's not just howwe're adapting, but how are we
adapting our products to meettheir needs, and so when we're
working with our clients, Ithink they're one of the best
sources of information on thechange that's happening in the
(09:57):
market or what they're lookingto deliver from a consumer
standpoint, and so one of thethings that I love is we're not
hindered by a lot of legacytechnology, so when our
customers have something thatthey want to deploy to meet the
new, whatever that is in themarket.
I2c has the flexibility inorder to deliver that and part
(10:21):
of my role is to make sure Iunderstand what that is and how
I2C can provide those solutionsto them.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Okay, great Thanks for sharing that.
So let's talk a little bitabout leadership.
So, as you well know,leadership is evolving.
Every day, every year, everydecade.
Leadership is changing.
So what do you think leadershipmeans today and sort of, how do
you embody that?
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah.
So I think you know, when Ithink about modern leadership,
it really is about beingadaptable and being authentic.
So it's less about top-downdecision-making and it's more
about listening, learning,uplifting others and also
understanding.
I think sometimes we forgetabout that last part, and I
(11:09):
think that's such an importantpart for us.
You know, I've always tried tolead by example.
You know, I try to bringclarity into what we're doing.
Why we're doing that, buildingtrust and really just showing up
for people, whether that's ourclients or our teams and showing
(11:29):
up in a way that's bothstrategic but also human.
We're people.
At the end of the day, we'rejust all people trying to get a
particular job done.
Modern leadership for me ismore about creating a culture
where others can lead.
You know, it's not just I'm aleader today and I'm always
(11:50):
going to be a leader.
Part of our job is to helpothers feel empowered.
They need to feel empowered toinnovate, speak up and challenge
what we do, because that's howwe become better.
And today is such a differentworkplace than it was whenever I
first started out.
So most of our staff are remote, so there's flexibility that
(12:14):
comes with that, but there'salso challenges that come with
that.
So creating those relationshipswith people that are all spread
out, it does require you to beintentional and available, and
so that's something that I alsotry to do all the time
intentionally work with people,engage with them and make myself
(12:35):
available.
And you know, the last thingI'll just mention is in this new
world of AI.
I spent a lot of time justtrying to understand, like, what
does that mean?
What's the applicability forthat to us?
How do we pull that in?
Because there's so many greatthings sometimes scary, but so
many great things that arehappening with AI.
(12:56):
It's how do we make our jobsbetter and easier, and also not
just for our staff, but for ourclients as well.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Well, during your career, was there a decision or
a defining moment that reallystands out?
I call them like the aha moment, like really made a difference
in, maybe, your career.
That's that one decision orthat one moment in time.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
So I think there were really two and I'll walk
through both of those.
So the first one is I'm not thesame person that I was before
cancer.
So I'm stronger, I'm wiser, I'mmore alive.
I look at things differentlythan I did before I went through
(13:41):
that process, thingsdifferently than I did before I
went through that process.
That entire experience reallyreshaped me and how I view the
world moving forward.
So I've learned to reallycherish, you know, the quiet
moments, to speak with purposeand to live with just fierce
gratitude.
And you know this is really mysecond chance and I'm trying to
(14:04):
live it to the fullest extentnow, having gone through that
experience.
It really helped me to find myvoice and courage.
So I'm not the same leader thatI was before I went through that
and I think the decision thatreally changed my career in a
different way.
So I mentioned a little bit atthe beginning I worked for a
(14:27):
company called Aurum Technology.
We got bought by FIS and reallyquickly after we were bought
they also bought a companycalled Intercept.
So now you had Aurum andIntercept, who basically did the
exact same things.
And at that point I was runningour central region and I looked
(14:48):
around and guess what, these IPmanagers, which I was regional
managers, were a dime a dozen.
So I'm looking around and I'mthinking, yeah, all of us can't
stay with what we have, so Ineeded to do something really
different.
I needed to reinvent myself, andso I still can't believe I did
(15:08):
it but what I did was I kind offed off of my previous
experience with remittance inthe back office.
I put together a business planto launch remittance processing
at FIS.
I actually set up a meetingwith our entire executive team
at FIS.
(15:29):
At the time we were allheadquartered in, or they were
headquartered in, orlando.
I flew to Orlando.
They all showed up for themeeting.
So if you can imagine, you'vegot Gary Norcross and the rest
of the team, I think they wereshocked at like what is this
girl coming in to tell me?
Like, what is she doing?
So they all showed up to see,you know, to hear what I wanted
(15:53):
to present.
I pitched them my idea and theyallowed me to move forward.
And so just in a few shortmonths after that, I'm leading
our remit division.
I've sold our largest accountand I think it's still the
largest account they have at FIStoday, and now we're
(16:16):
implementing it.
So that to me, I think, was thedecision and the experience
that really shaped who you know,my career as I started to
evolve.
Because then, guess what,Everybody knew who I was, the
executive team knew who I was Iwas able to go launch this new
division.
(16:36):
It became very successful and,you know, without that I think I
would have been one of the manyIP leaders who didn't make it
through.
You know that acquisition.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
So, would you say, the moral of that story is be
willing to take chances.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Love it.
So what's something that youbelieve female leaders bring to
the table that our industryneeds more of?
Speaker 3 (17:05):
So I would say the top three things that come to
mind are really empathy,perspective and a collaborative
mindset.
I think there's an approach tosolving problems that requires
you know balancing vision withcontext.
And in a space like payments,which is becoming more consumer
(17:26):
driven and experience led, thesequalities aren't just soft
qualities, they're strategicqualities that we all need to
embrace.
So, per TechCrunch, in the US,women account for 85 percent of
the purchases that are madeacross various categories 85% of
(17:47):
the purchases that are madeacross various categories.
Yet when you look at women inthe financial industry, we make
up 52% of the total headcount.
However, only 27% of women arein C-suite roles.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
So when you think about the users so we're the
primary users.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
However you think about the leaders in this space,
we're the minority.
Okay, so I've always beenfascinated by the fact that
women are the primary users, yetmost of them are designed by
men.
Yet most of them are designedby men.
So I'll tell you a quick story.
(18:24):
So years ago, I hosted TomPeters.
He was the author of the LittleBig Things and he told a story
of how men and women shop.
Man goes to the mall to buy ablack pair of pants.
He goes to the store that heknows he likes, he buys the
black pair of pants and he goesto the store that he knows he
likes, he buys the black pair ofpants and he leaves the mall.
(18:45):
A woman goes to the mall to buya black pair of pants and she
goes to, you know, multiplestores.
She's got to look at heroptions, and I can relate to all
this.
She has to look at her options.
She tries them on and on.
You know, as we're going alongthe way, we're going to buy two
shirts, a pair of earrings,maybe a purse and some shoes
(19:06):
before we ever get to ouroriginal goal, which was to buy
the black pants.
And so when you think about howdifferent we are from a
shopping perspective.
You know you got to think aboutthe tools and the mechanisms
and the experiences that we'recreating.
So now that was before 2020.
And I know things have changeda bit since then, you know, and
(19:30):
more and more is done online,but I think you know the same
premise of how we're differentand how we approach it is
exactly the same and so you know.
I think, as we think about howwomen really influence, we have
to remember that women are themajority users of a lot of these
products that we are defining,and we have to keep that in mind
(19:53):
.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Okay, well, I am definitely the man that goes to
the mall to buy the black pantsand runs out the door as fast as
possible.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
You and my husband both.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Oh, that's funny.
So let's talk about innovationand influence.
So, as you know, and you'vementioned it, this payment space
is just incredibly fastchanging and moving.
So how do you stay innovativeas a leader?
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Yeah, I think you have to stay grounded.
So I work really hard at juststaying grounded, being updated
by listening to our clients, theteams that I have around me and
the market.
Innovation isn't always aboutchasing trends, but it's about
anticipating the real needs andremoving friction from that.
(20:44):
So the reason I moved to I2C isthat our platform was designed
for just that the flexibilitythat allows us to evolve as the
market and our clients do.
That mindset influences how Ilead.
I've got to stay curious, whichI love.
I love the payments industry.
(21:05):
It's always changing.
I'm always curious about who'sdeveloping what next, or what
that product looks like or howit works.
I'm a super user for a lot ofdifferent things because I want
to just experience that and myteam will tell you.
I ask a lot of questions so youknow everything that we do.
(21:27):
It's always you know.
What's the benefit for that,why are we doing that, what's
the impact, what does that looklike?
You've got to question bydefault.
Just don't take things at facevalue.
You've got to understand themand I encourage people to really
experiment, right?
I mean, a lot of times leadersaren't open to allowing their
(21:50):
folks to take chances and youknow, as you heard from my story
early on, I'm all about takingrisks.
Let's understand what that risk.
You know what are therepercussions for that.
Can we overcome them?
If the answer is yes, let'smove it forward and let's see
what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Okay, so what's one change or trend in the industry
that you're really payingattention to right now?
Speaker 3 (22:13):
It's really around the continued personalization
and payments.
So consumers, especially theyounger generation, expect the
products to adapt to them moreso than any other time in our
history.
So if you think about it 25years ago, you know consumers
(22:33):
had no say in the paymentsproducts that were being
developed.
The bank, would you know?
Banks gave us ATMs.
Bank gave us digital banking.
You took what they gave us.
Banks gave us ATMs.
Bank gave us digital banking.
You took what they gave us.
Today there are tons of optionsand consumers are really
driving that innovation.
You know, when we did our recenttop-of-the-wallet study.
(22:55):
It shows that rewards andcookie-cutter offers alone
aren't enough anymore.
What's driving loyalty isflexibility, control and
tailoring to meet your needs.
I'm a sucker for that.
All day long you give mesomething that meets my needs
and makes it easy.
I'm all in for that.
(23:15):
And that's really where ITCthrives helping issuers really
deliver those experiences thatare relevant, scalable and fast
to market.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Yeah, and you mentioned something there.
I have a 21-year-old daughterwho everything is on the phone
right Rarely is she in front ofa computer and if there's any
friction, if there's anythingthat makes it a challenge no
matter what it is, butespecially financial things she
just moves on to the next thing.
I mean she's not going to sitthere and try to figure it out,
right.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
That's right.
Yeah, it's typical, and it getseven worse as we look at what's
the new generation, Gen Alpha,Is that the new one?
So you know I look at mygranddaughter, she's 11.
She loves to come over herebecause she likes to utilize my
phone and, to your point, if sheruns into an ad or something
(24:08):
that you know isn't working, sheimmediately Gigi, can I
download this other thing,Because she's done with that
application, she's ready to moveon to the next one.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Absolutely.
It's crazy.
So, when you think about womenleaders, how can they influence
the future direction of ourindustry?
Speaker 3 (24:27):
Yeah.
So as I previously mentioned,you know the TechCrunch study,
women are making 85 percent ofthe primary purchasing that they
do in their households.
So when you think about that,if we're the ultimate majority
user of payments.
More women should be makingdecisions around what's being
(24:49):
built and deployed in themarketplace.
We need more women in productshaping, that strategy, the
product design and theinvestment decision.
Women leaders we're uniquelypositioned to advocate for more
inclusivity and accessibility offinancial tools such as, you
know, the new fintechs that aretrying to meet the underserved
(25:13):
market.
And our voices also challengethe legacy thinking.
You know, we need to be brave,we need to be brave, we need to
be courageous, we need to beopen to sharing our thoughts,
because we all have a voice andwe need to make sure that we use
that.
So, when we lead with bothinnovation and empathy, we
(25:34):
create better outcomes for users, companies and the communities.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Okay, let's switch gears a little bit, really
pushing mentors, being a mentorand also looking for mentors,
(26:10):
right.
Speaker 3 (26:10):
So I think we all have a role to play with that,
and one of the things I wouldencourage women is, when you're,
you should have multiplementors, and mentors should be
men and women, so not just womenhelping women.
I think that's very important,but because it's still a space
(26:34):
where women are still theminority when it comes to
leadership positions, we need tohave men that are also mentors
to help us understand howthey're thinking as we move up
the ladder, and I think that'sbeen critical for me as well not
only having women mentors, buthaving men mentors, and so I
encourage everybody that I talkto and work with to have both as
(26:55):
well.
As you know, don't just be amentee, you need to be a mentor.
We all need to be pulling upthose that are coming behind us.
But I will tell you, the onewoman that immediately comes to
mind as you asked me thisquestion is a lady Janice Gowers
.
She was one of the first femalemanagers that I ever had, and
(27:21):
she actually very start of mycareer, as I'm starting to grow
in leadership positions.
Not only was she able, or shetried, to guide me, but she also
gave me opportunities where shesaw more in me than what I saw
in myself, than what I saw inmyself.
(27:41):
She gave me opportunities forroles which, quite frankly, I
don't know that I was ready for,but she believed that I was
ready for, and so over time mycareer actually excelled past
her role.
But her and I became friendsthat could never be replaced.
(28:04):
So not only was she my mentor,but she was also my friend, and
without her I also don't think Iwould be where I am today.
But there are so many womenthat have influenced my life and
career.
She's the one that stands outbecause she was at the very
beginning of that and she reallyhelped encourage me as I was
(28:25):
growing.
It's difficult to narrow downthat list, but I really admire
women who are writing their ownstories, not following the
status quo, not trying to belike someone else, not trying to
play someone else's game, andthey're having the courage to
take risk.
(28:46):
I mean, what's the worst that'sgoing to happen?
Speaker 1 (28:48):
You know when I flew to Orlando.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
the worst that was going to happen is they said no,
so what did I have to lose?
It's you know, it's all abouttaking risk and utilizing your
voice to do that.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
One thing I'd like to double click on the mentorship
thing, and I think people feellike there has to be this
structured program of mentorship.
And I think it's kind of an oldschool way of thinking, right,
where you relied on your companythat you worked for and a lot
of big companies have programs,but there's also a lot of medium
and small companies in ourspace that they don't have
formal mentorship programs,right.
(29:21):
But I think with today'stechnology, people like LinkedIn
and other ways to communicatewith people, I feel like there's
like it's much easier to findmentors.
So just kind of curious yourthoughts on that.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
So it's interesting that you brought that up,
because the structuredmentorship programs that I've
been a part of haven't worked aswell as the unstructured ones.
So whenever you have the settime and you're kind of working
with somebody and it's veryformal, yeah, you can get out a
(29:56):
little bit out of it, they canget out a little bit out of it.
But for me, mentorship is youhave to develop a relationship
with them.
They have to get to know you,you have to get to know them.
You develop that over time andtrust and it's you know.
To me it becomes more criticalto your success when it is
unstructured, because now you'vedeveloped this resource that
(30:19):
you have where you can go andtalk to them at any time.
You can run things by them.
I haven't met one woman or manwho I've worked with that hasn't
appreciated that or taken thecall whenever I've given that to
them.
I will also say that there'stons of organizations for women,
like PayTech Women, which I wason the board of for several
(30:42):
years.
That does offer ability to be apart of a mentor program,
structured and unstructured.
So they have a database of womenwho you can look at and you can
actually reach out to themdirectly to see if they would be
your mentor.
And what's important, as you'relooking for a mentor, for me
(31:03):
was finding people above andbelow you, because they have
different perspectives, as wellas finding people in the role
that you want to move to, sothat they can help you
understand what that roleactually looks like.
So what I would encourageeveryone who's listening to this
is don't be afraid to ask.
(31:25):
Lots of people want to bementors but they don't really
know how.
They don't know how to likeapproach that.
Or you know they I wouldn'tcall you, greg, and say, hey,
can I be your mentor?
Right?
But you know, a lot of peoplemight feel intimidated to say,
you know, to call you and say,would you be mine?
And so let's don't be afraid todo that and let's make sure
(31:48):
that we have lots of differentpeople we're reaching out to at
lots of different levels to giveus a really rounded view.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
This is maybe a similar question, but curious
what your answer will be.
If you could give the nextgeneration of female leaders in
our space just one piece ofadvice, what would that be?
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Well, hopefully you've learned in the last 20,
30 minutes.
I can't give one piece ofadvice.
I have multiple things.
So I would start with you haveto own your own story.
It's your journey, yours alone.
You have to own it.
Your perspective is yourstrength.
Don't let anyone diminish thator fit you into a mold.
(32:29):
Learn the business that you'rein.
I cannot stress this one enoughUnderstanding the why behind
decisions gives you both powerand credibility.
This is so important.
And finally, what we've beentalking about, greg you have to
(32:50):
find mentors and become one.
The next generation is watchingus and how we show up.
And leadership isn't just aboutyour life.
It's about the impact that youmake on others.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Well, we're going to wrap up with one more fun
question.
So when you look at your phone,what app do you use the most?
That is not business relatedand why.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
This is a very embarrassing question to answer.
I will start by saying I'mtotally addicted to my phone.
I'm always on my phone but, toyour point, it's not answering
your question.
I'm always checking email.
I'm always on Teams.
I'm always doing businessrelated stuff.
I'm right now playing a lotwith AI.
(33:35):
I'm trying to understand whatsome of the tools are, what
works, what doesn't work.
So most used app.
So I will tell you so at night.
Okay, after I've been addictedto my phone all day, all of the
business stuff I spent aboutfive minutes on social media and
then I have this little puzzlegame on my phone and I will play
(33:59):
that until I unwind from theday and I'm ready to go to sleep
.
So yeah, it's a little game,but I have on my phone.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
That's great.
That's great Glad you sharedthat.
So we're going to wrap up theshow.
I just want to make sure thatwe've covered everything you
wanted to.
Is there anything else you'dlike to add before we wrap up
the show?
Speaker 3 (34:20):
I just want to thank you, greg.
I've had a lot of fun talkingto you.
I'm so excited about July andwhat you do here for women and I
would just encourage everybodylistening to this, male or
female.
Let's just lift everybody up.
Let's embrace what's happeningin the payments market and I
can't wait to see what's next.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Okay, great, I think that's a great way to close out.
So, serena, thank you so muchfor your time.
I know it's very valuable, so Ireally appreciate you being
here today.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
And to all your listeners out there.
I thank you as well.
Until the next story.
Speaker 1 (34:56):
Thank you for joining us this week on the Leaders in
Payments podcast.
Make sure you visit our websiteat leadersinpaymentscom, where
you can subscribe to the showand where you'll find our show
notes.
If you enjoyed listening,please share on your social
channels as well.
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