PTW Leadership Summit expands, emboldens base

PayTech Women, a nonprofit organization championing professional women in payments, fintech and financial services, hosted its 2024 Leadership Summit on Sept. 24 to 25, 2024, at the Atlanta Marriott Airport Gateway Complex. Themed "Choose to Be," the event drew a record 700 attendees from numerous countries and industry sectors for two days of educational sessions, keynote addresses and professional networking events.

Wendy Holliday, CEO of PayTech Women, said, "This summit is more than an event; it's a movement," noting that PTW's 6,187 members include rising stars, seasoned executives and a growing number of male advocates.

Holliday thanked volunteers, exhibitors, speakers and sponsors, including title sponsor FIS, for their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and to helping women lead with strength, creativity and resilience. Take what you gain here and pay it forward, she added, and use these insights to empower women and break down barriers wherever you go.

Growth and empowerment

Polly Van Duser, 2024 board president at PayTech Women, invited the audience to connect, engage, and learn from each other. "As board president, I've had the privilege of witnessing firsthand how PayTech Women has grown into a thriving, supportive and dynamic community of leaders," she said. "The energy in this room is undeniable; conversations and collaborations that happen here will ripple through our industry for many years to come."

Van Duser additionally noted that the annual summit reflects the organization's positive impact on fintech and payments, summarizing its four foundational pillars as follows:

1. Connect: Expand professional networks by meeting and engaging with other industry professionals.

2. Master:Acquire industry-leading knowledge from global paytech leaders.

3. Open: Access emerging trends, new research studies, tools and career strategies.

4. Engage: Participate in peer-to-peer discussions to enhance inclusivity and inspiration.

"Today I choose to be engaged but I also choose to be bold and I'm incredibly grateful for this moment," Van Duser added.

Male advocates

PayTech Women's diverse membership and recently established Male Advocates Committee reflect the organization's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Guarav Singh, senior director, revenue operations and strategy, FIS, led a male-advocate networking session on Day One of the conference, inviting PTW members to meet and support this growing contingent.

Rob Brown, managing director, global head of client service, merchant, J.P. Morgan Payments, said, "The breakout was a fantastic opportunity to discuss relevant topics with a nice networking opportunity at the end. I appreciated the diverse questions and chance to discuss with both male and female colleagues."

Bold, inspirational leaders

2024 PTW Summit Co-chair Rebecca Walden, marketing consultant and fractional CMO at Corvia, described a palpable energy among longtime and first-time attendees, in sessions, on stages and in hallway chats. "Everywhere I turned, I saw evidence of what makes Summit so special," she said. "So many people came up to me to share takeaways that inspired and informed them. There is no better feedback than that."   Walden, a PTW President's Advisory Council member, stated that the Leadership Summit is designed to spur meaningful change for the individual attending, at and beyond the organizational level. Noting that PTW sent more than 700 strong and ambitious women back into their day-to-day with renewed vigor, she added, "I've no doubt they will rise in part because of Summit; that's my definition of success."   Donna Blum, software sales director at BHMI, who moderated three Amplify! Mini-Sessions and whose Omaha-Lincoln chapter received a PTW Chapter of the Year Award, was impressed by the camaraderie among attendees, even those who work for competing organizations.

"This annual event brings together hundreds of women and men to advocate for gender parity and the success of women in the payments industry and beyond," she said. "Sessions challenge and inspire women to bring their full talents and unique voices to the payments world."

ConneX Cohorts

A pre-event program, ConneX Cohort, helped individual attendees build relationships before the annual conference. A Zoom conference held a week before the PTW Summit provided an agenda overview and opportunities to meet fellow cohort members.

ConneX Cohort Chair Hope Page, executive director of settlement and financial operations at Wells Fargo, sent participants into Zoom breakout rooms where they could meet others, jumpstart their networking, engage with their cohorts and maximize their Summit journeys.

ConneX Cohort was a conference highlight for Dale Laszig, a payments industry journalist and former senior staff writer at The Green Sheet. "I enjoyed meeting my cohorts Shanika Sanders, director of payments optimization and support at FIS and Shannon Zolar, account manager at Fiserv, and checking in with them throughout the conference," she said.

Whether you want to upgrade your POS offerings, find a payment gateway partner, bone up on fintech regs or PCI requirements, find an upcoming trade show, read about faster payments, or discover the latest innovations in merchant acquiring, The Green Sheet is the resource for you. Since 1983, we've helped empower and connect payments professionals, starting with the merchant level salespeople who bring tailored payment acceptance and digital commerce tools, along with a host of other business services to merchants across the globe. The Green Sheet Inc. is also a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals.

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