By Kate Fitzgerald, John Adams--March 7, 2023 7:00 AM--The payments industry has always been fast to change, but 2023 may be more transformative than most. The adoption of real-time payments — with the expected launch of the FedNow system — is creating new challenges and opportunities for everyone in a leadership role.

 

This year's Most Influential Women in Payments honorees are uniquely positioned to make the most of this change, as well as other disruptive factors such as the advancement of artificial intelligence, central bank digital currencies and more. 

 

This year's honorees also know the value of an unconventional work history. Some of them came from outside of the payments and banking industries.

 

"It's been said more than once that you can't get a degree in payments, so all of us have had to learn the ropes in payments along the way at some point in our careers," said Kara Kazazean, vice president of financial services for Walmart's Sam's Club.

 

Many have learned the importance of hiring outsiders who can bring in those same fresh viewpoints. 

 

"Your team's next top performer may come from your fiercest fintech rival or they may come from a new automotive startup, an international media company or a boutique consulting firm," said Brooke Major-Reid, chief capital officer at Affirm. 

 

Whether they work in banks, tech companies, card networks or retailers, these leaders showcase the importance of creating opportunities for the teams they manage. 

 

Read more to see all the honorees!

Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President

TSYS, a Global Payments company