American Banker announces honorees for 2023's Most Influential Women in Payments

This year's list of trailblazing women highlights the diversity of backgrounds that payments leaders bring to the industry to position their companies as innovators.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) MARCH 07, 2023

American Banker, Arizent's essential resource for senior executives in financial services, has announced honorees for The Most Influential Women in Payments, the annual initiative that recognizes and celebrates trailblazing women leaders in the payments sector. This year's list highlights the diverse backgrounds individuals bring to this industry and how their unique experiences have shaped their approaches to leadership and innovation.

"With recent shifts to digital payments and the ongoing transition to real-time transactions, these women are guiding the future of the industry," Daniel Wolfe, American Banker's Content Director of Community Banking, Credit Unions and Payments, says. "By positioning their companies as innovators, they've shown the next generation of payments leaders how to successfully navigate rapidly changing markets."

This year's honorees represent various professional career paths that have influenced their leadership. One standout is Shalu Attri, Director of Global Business Developments, Payments at eBay, who draws inspiration from her educational background in chemical engineering and her experience strategizing products at Microsoft. Attri built support among her colleagues for a new approach to seller payouts that will ultimately reduce company costs and improve revenue.

Another standout is Lia Cao, Global Co-head of Corporate and E-commerce Sales and Solutions, Payments at JPMorgan Chase, who worked in real estate and urban planning before managing a 700-person global sales and solutions team. In early 2022, Cao collaborated with the co-head of her department to consolidate treasury and merchant services.

A few of the other honorees include:

  • Kara Kazazean, Vice President of Financial Services, Sam's Club
  • Kristy Carstensen, Senior Vice President, Payments CFO, U.S. Bank
  • Brooke Major-Reid, Chief Capital Officer, Affirm
  • Shruti Patel, Director of Product Partnerships and Monetization, Shopify
  • Bunita Sawhney, Executive Vice President of U.S. Financial Institutions, Mastercard
  • Vanessa Colella, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Innovation and Digital Partnerships, Visa
  • Eva Reda, President of Consumer Banking, American Express
  • Alisa Ellis, Global Head of Innovation and Emerging Products, Discover

The recognition program continues the mission of supporting, empowering, celebrating and advancing women in the payments community, while also being part of American Banker's continued coverage of the progress in diversity, equity and inclusion throughout financial services. Since 2013, The Most Influential Women in Payments has recognized the professional achievements and influence of top-performing female executives.

The honorees will be the focal point of a Women in Payments pre-conference leadership exchange on the first morning of PAYMENTS FORUM, which takes place May 1–3, 2023, in San Diego. The dedicated sessions are open to all conference attendees and will feature panels covering a variety of topics, including paths to leadership, the importance of mentorship, leading during uncertain times and more.

The complete list of honorees and their stories can be read here: https://www.americanbanker.com/payments/list/the-most-influential-women-in-payments-2023

About American Banker

American Banker is the essential resource for senior executives in banking and financial services, keeping its users updated on vital developments and focusing sharply on their most important concerns — innovation, transformation, and disruption; technology, regulation, and reform. Financial industry professionals turn to American Banker, every day and throughout the day, to stay maximally informed — drilling down on complex issues, keeping up with breaking news, and downloading research and data. Paid subscribers and registered visitors engage deeply with an authoritative community of analysts, practitioners and innovators through opinion content, research panels, social media, and live events.

About Arizent

Arizent is a business information company that advances professional communities by providing insights and analysis and convening industry leaders. The company uses deep industry expertise and a data-driven platform to deliver its services, which include subscriptions, marketing services, live events and access to Leaders, an executive forum. Arizent also connects business communities through leading financial services brands like American Banker, The Bond Buyer, Financial Planning and National Mortgage News, as well as professional services brands like Accounting Today, Employee Benefit News and Digital Insurance.