Celebrating women shaping the future of payments

Each year on March 8, International Women's Day brings a global focus on representation and opportunity. In the merchant acquiring sphere, however, the conversation is increasingly about leadership, innovation and influence. Women are not only rising within payments; they are shaping regulatory advocacy, operational strategy, education, communications and enterprise growth across the acquiring landscape.

From association leadership and C-suite roles to strategic advisory work and industry education, women are helping define how acquirers adapt to regulatory complexity, emerging technology, AI integration and evolving merchant expectations.

A dynamic range of smarts, dedication and drive

The following leaders represent just a cross-section of the expertise driving merchant services forward today.

Audrey Blackmon – Senior Enterprise Sales Executive, Euronet

With more than three decades in merchant acquiring and enterprise sales, Audrey Blackmon has built and led high-performing sales teams across the payments landscape. She is known for her leadership in integrated payments and merchant services. A former president of PayTech Women (PTW), she has played a pivotal role in advancing diversity initiatives through that organization, mentoring women entering revenue, sales and executive leadership roles within the payments industry.

Dr. Gail Burgos – CEO, PayTech Women
 As CEO of PTW, Dr. Gail Burgos leads one of the most influential organizations supporting women across the payments ecosystem. After serving as the senior diversity officer of TSYS, a Global Payment company, and senior vice president, diversity equity inclusion, at 1st Sentry, Burgos then founded Burgos Consulting Group Inc. With a background spanning fintech leadership, education and advocacy, Burgos focuses on structured career development, mentorship and executive readiness. Her work strengthens leadership pipelines across ISOs, processors, networks and payment technology firms.

Dawn Delaney – Vice President, Corporate Development and Partnerships, Corporate Investment Bank, JPMorgan Chase

Dawn Delaney serves as vice president, corporate development and partnerships at JPMorgan Chase within the Corporate Investment Bank. She has served in multiple roles in wholesale payments, representing multiple industries and currently serves as the 2026 board president for PTW. A three-time recipient of a PayTech Women Award, she was honored in 2025, 2023 and 2017 for her contributions to PTW's programs and overall mission. Delaney is also a member of the ETA's Payment Facilitator Committee, which provides ideas and insight to ETA members.

Donna Embry – CEO, e-Squared Systems Inc.

Donna Embry, CEO at e-Squared Systems Inc. and board member of the Northeast Acquirers Association, had held executive positions at PNC Bank, Vital Processing (now Global) and Payment Alliance International. She received the Midwest Acquirers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award for Payments Industry Professionals in 2019. In 2013, 2014 and 2019, SourceMedia recognized her as One of the 20 Most Influential Women in Payments. In 2016, she received the Distinguished Payments Professional award from the ETA, as well as the ATM Industry Champion Award from the ATM Industry Association. In 2017, Embry was recognized as a Distinguished Payments Professional from the Women in Payments global network, and was also recognized by ATMIA with an Outstanding Service award. In 2018, she received the international PayTech Leadership Award from FinTech Futures and in 2019 was inducted into the ETA Hall of Fame.

Diane Vogt Faro – CEO, Savify

Diane Vogt Faro, CEO of Savify and founding member of PTW, has held leadership roles for major payments industry brands, including First Data Merchant Services, Chase Merchant Services and JetPay Corp., where she served as CEO and oversaw the company's 2018 acquisition by NCR Corp., the same year that she was inducted into the ETA Hall of Fame. Vogt also received the Women in Payments Distinguished Professional Award for strategy, revenue growth and leadership.

Kate Gillespie – President and CEO, The Green Sheet Inc. 
Kate Gillespie leads the payments industry's longest-standing independent publication dedicated to the empowerment of the ISOs, merchant level salespeople and other professionals who bring payment services and business consulting to merchants of all sizes and interests. Under her leadership, The Green Sheet provides in-depth reporting and analysis that informs readers navigating regulatory shifts, consolidation trends and evolving merchant expectations. Her role at the center of industry dialogue makes her a key connector across the merchant ecosystem.

Lori Griboski – Vice President ISO Sales, Paysafe
 Lori Griboski has extensive experience in merchant acquiring, alternative payments and global expansion strategies. At Paysafe, she has contributed to strengthening merchant partnerships across high-growth verticals while navigating regulatory complexity and cross-border commerce. Her career reflects the increasingly global, data-driven nature of acquiring today.

Jodie Kelley – CEO, Electronic Transactions Association
 Jodie Kelley represents the electronic payments industry at the national policy level as CEO of the ETA. She advocates for balanced regulatory frameworks, data security standards and innovation policies that directly impact acquirers, ISOs and payment technology providers. Her leadership ensures the merchant ecosystem has a strong voice in legislative and compliance discussions.

Peggy Olsen – Founder, President and CEO, Strategic Marketing
 For decades, Peggy Olsen has shaped how acquiring companies tell their stories. At the helm of Strategic Marketing, she has supported processors, ISOs and merchant-focused fintechs through product launches, acquisitions and market positioning. While often working behind the scenes, her influence has helped define the public narratives of numerous merchant services organizations. She is a former author of The Green Sheet's Street SmartsSM series.

Vanita Pandey – Chief Marketing Officer, Microblink

Vanita Pandey, chief marketing officer at Microblink, is a recognized authority in identity and fraud prevention, having held senior leadership roles that include chief marketing officer at Caf, Arkose Labs and Bureau, and vice president of product marketing at ThreatMetrix (acquired by LexisNexis). At Simility (acquired by PayPal), Pandey spearheaded global branding initiatives and go-to-market execution. Her experience also spans leadership positions at Standard Chartered, ABN Amro, Capital One and Visa, where she specialized in merchant development and digital marketing strategies. 

Paulette Rowe – CEO, Stax Payments
 Paulette Rowe leads Stax, a subscription-based merchant acquiring company serving small and midsize businesses. With prior executive roles at Barclays and Paysafe, Rowe has long championed pricing transparency and innovation in merchant services. Her leadership exemplifies how global payments experience can translate into modern, merchant-first acquiring models.

Garima Shah – Co-Founder and President, Biller Genie
 Garima Shah is widely respected across acquiring and fintech circles for her strategic leadership and operational expertise. Known from years of participation in industry conferences and leadership roles, she has contributed to shaping growth strategies and partnerships across merchant-facing organizations, bridging networks, processors and enterprise merchants.

Viktoria Soltesz – CEO & Founder, PSP Angels and The Soltesz Institute
 Viktoria Soltesz is a globally recognized payments strategist and educator focused on building scalable, compliant financial infrastructures. Through PSP Angels, she has advised more than 1,000 companies on payment architecture, banking strategy and operational resilience. Through The Soltesz Institute, she established the first EU-accredited independent certification programs dedicated exclusively to payments and banking. Her work elevates education and ethical standards in acquiring and financial operations. She is also a current contributing writer to The Green Sheet.

Holli Hart Targan – Attorney and Partner, Taft Law

Holli Hart Targan leads Taft Law's Paytech and Payment Systems practice group and previously served on the firm's leadership board. Specializing in credit and debit card processing, financial technology and payment systems law, she has been recognized as a Most Influential Woman in Payments, Best Lawyer in America, Notable Woman in the Law, Michigan Super Lawyer and Business Top Lawyer. A past president of the ETA, she was also inducted into the ETA Hall of Fame. She has received the MWAA Industry Achievement Award and numerous other industry awards. Targan is a co-founder, past president and board member of PTW and past board member of the Association of Payment Professionals. 

Polly Van Duser, SPHR – Vice President Talent Acquisition, One Inc.

Polly Van Duser is vice president, talent acquisition at One Inc, an insurtech/fintech enterprise that is transforming the insurance space with its digital payments platform. Van Duser has more than 20 years of experience in recruiting and talent identification, including 15 years in payments and fintech. During that time, she built and led talent acquisition teams at Greenings International, Bank of America Merchant Services, Heartland Payment Systems and WorldPay. She is also a past president of PTW. 

Seasoned leaders at the table

As acquiring continues to evolve—shaped by AI, global expansion, regulatory scrutiny and merchant demand for greater transparency—leadership will increasingly require operational depth, strategic agility and ethical grounding. The women highlighted here are contributing to that foundation in tangible ways.

International Women's Day offers an opportunity to recognize progress, but the larger story is ongoing: a payments industry that benefits when diverse leadership shapes its infrastructure, its policy conversations and its future direction. The next chapter of merchant acquiring will be written by leaders who combine innovation with responsibility. Many of those leaders are already at the table.

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