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Leaders In Payments
Leaders In Payments
Women Leaders inPayments: Alisa Barber, CMO at Paysafe | Episode 420
From her journey through marketing roles at large payments companies to building out the marketing function at Paysafe, Alisa Barber, CMO reveals the continuous learning and adaptation required to thrive in the rapidly evolving payments landscape. Her leadership philosophy centers on providing clear direction while creating space for team members to shine, emphasizing that growth comes not from singular defining moments but from getting better every day: "What we did yesterday is not good enough for tomorrow."
Women bring unique strengths to payments, Barber explains, particularly empathy and a deeper understanding of consumer experiences. This perspective is invaluable when designing products and building systems, especially considering women make many household financial decisions yet are underrepresented in the industry. Their collaborative leadership style becomes increasingly crucial as artificial intelligence transforms payments – a change Barber predicts will be "as big as the internet was."
The conversation explores mentorship's vital role in career development, with Barber noting that while most of her mentors were men, she now prioritizes mentoring women to provide the guidance she lacked early on. Her practical advice for aspiring payment professionals? Embrace change, speak up, view challenges as opportunities, and invest in relationships – because in an AI-driven world, human skills will differentiate the truly successful leaders.
Whether you're a seasoned payments veteran or considering entering this dynamic industry, this episode offers valuable insights on navigating leadership with authenticity, building inclusive teams, and preparing for the technological transformation reshaping our financial landscape.
Welcome to the Leaders in Payments podcast, where we talk to C-level leaders from across the payments landscape. We'll be discussing the products and services that impact the payment space today, as well as trends and predictions for the future of payments. We will also hear stories from our guests about their journeys to the top.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone and welcome to the Leaders in Payments podcast. I'm your host, greg Myers, and this episode is part of our Women Leaders in Payments month, something we do every year in the month of July, and it's one of my favorite times of the year. This year's theme is redefining leadership, influence, impact and innovation, so those are some of the things you're going to be hearing about during the month of July. So, first, a special thank you to our sponsors. Our title sponsor is WorldPay, our participating sponsors are VisiPay and PayRock, and our episode sponsors are the Clearinghouse and Genico and PaySafe. So special thanks to those companies. Today, our special guest is Alyssa Barber, the Chief Marketing Officer at PaySafe. So, alyssa, thank you so much for being here and welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Thank you. I'm so excited to be here and to talk a little bit about women and payments this week.
Speaker 2:Great, so let's start off with a little icebreaker. So if you could have dinner with any woman in history, past or present, who would that be and why and what type of restaurant would you take them to?
Speaker 3:That is a great question, and there's lots of women I think I would like to go to dinner with maybe Amelia Earhart, just because you know she was so bold in her time and then really decades ahead of her time, and so I just would love to like pick her brain and really understand her mindset of how like she just kept stay focused and really kept pushing boundaries even when the world wasn't really ready for her. From a restaurant standpoint, I was just in Peru last week and now I've kind of have a love for Peruvian food and because it's kind of unexpected, like she was, I think I'll go Peruvian food.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, great. So let's talk a little bit about your background. So tell us you know, sort of maybe, where you grew up, where you went to school and what led you into payments.
Speaker 3:I grew up in South Georgia and ended up going to Florida State College of Business and had a major in marketing actually and doing what I went to college for, and I really began my payments career with a company called Penley. It was a startup for the Patriot Act and, through a series of acquisitions, ended up for many, many years at FIS and did a little and had a variety of marketing roles there. Up for many, many years at FIS and did a little variety of marketing roles there. I built out our demand gen function at FIS as well as did some marketing consulting with our clients and did some direct-to-consumer marketing while at FIS, which was a great experience to learn a little bit about everything. In 2020, I decided to step away from payments for a couple of years and was the led the marketing efforts at a company called Varent, led the marketing efforts for the America's Marketing and it was great to have a chance to see like marketing from a different, from a different place than payments. But in 2022, payments came calling and I started working for Paysafe to really build out the marketing function here and if you don't know, paysafe Paysafe is a New York stock exchange company.
Speaker 3:We're a global payments platform with a strong focus on the experiential economy. So we serve consumers in entertainment sectors like iGaming and video gaming, and restaurants and airlines and hotels. You really our focus is turning transactions into experiences. We have about 3,000 employees in 12 countries and have a strong focus on our online payments, and so, when you think about SMBs, we're actually a top five non-bank payment processor, and what I love about that is we're supporting thousands of retailers and restaurants across the world. Many of those are women-owned businesses. But we also have digital wallets for their direct-to-consumer called Skrill and NetTeller. A couple of online cash solutions PaySafeCard, paysafecash, and then our new online cash solution in Peru, pago Efetigo. We've just transformed that into a wallet, which is actually why I was in Peru last week. So just a little bit of background on kind of my career so far.
Speaker 2:Okay, great, great. So if you're asked to go on stage or at a conference and you've got to give a presentation and you have your kind of walk-up music or your hype music, what would that music be?
Speaker 3:Another great question Because you know we're in the midst of such a transformation at Paysafe I'm thinking Alicia Keys' Girl on Fire, because it's not just me being on fire, it's the whole marketing team is and so I thought that might make sense.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, that's great, because I've asked that question, obviously, to all the interviews this month and no one has given the same answer twice, so I think that's kind of cool. So, yeah, tell us a little bit about exactly what you do there and maybe what excites you every day when you come into the office.
Speaker 3:Okay, perfect, so well. When I joined PaySafe, it was a really exciting time. It was in late 2022. Our CEO, Bruce Lothers, had been around about six months and Paysafe is definitely in growth mode. We originally were really focused on M&A for growth, and so you know, Bruce has really transformed our vision. It's really focused on growing through organic growth, and so what my role is is to really help support the company's growth goals and then really lead the transformation of marketing.
Speaker 3:So we've done everything from unifying our brand architecture, really have a stronger focus on data and being a data-driven marketing organization really focused on outcomes, and we've centralized the marketing team across the world.
Speaker 3:I think what gets me excited every day is one is the team team, and they're fantastic and getting to work with people globally, but also we're really getting to work on projects that make a big difference for the company.
Speaker 3:So we've done everything from have a complete rebranded all of our major sub-brands so that we really have a pay-safe family of brands, which, as a marketer, is a really interesting task. But we also have a lot of new products that we've been launching, like the one that I talked about in Peru, but we also have a lot of programs that really focus on women. And last month in London we actually had a women in video gaming event where we had panelists come talk about how they got into gaming, how they got into entertainment, and it really brought together a great conversation and the focus on building community and that's one of the things we want to do from a marketing standpoint. And I think the way you tell if an event was good is when I was leaving, someone said when's the next one? So we're definitely planning to do some more women women in gaming or maybe one of our other industries, you know, over the coming months across the world.
Speaker 2:Okay, great, great. Well, let's talk a little bit about leadership and maybe some lessons learned.
Speaker 3:So think people are looking for clear direction on what we need to accomplish and the goals we need to accomplish, but also they need to be heard, and I think people really want to know that there's a space for them to shine and that their leaders care about what they want to do. But also, especially in payments, change happens so frequently, and certainly with technology, we just have to be able to change, and I want to be able to help the team be able to change so that they're ready for the next big thing and I think what's exciting about PaySafe is is that not only are many of my directs women, but 46% of all of our employees are women. We have employees from both genders, and so we have diversity as a part of the company.
Speaker 2:When you step back and look at your career or even, broadly, your life. Have you had those sort of moments in time that helped define who you are? I kind of call them those aha moments.
Speaker 3:You know it's interesting, but there's definitely not just one. I think every career has got a lot of milestones. Milestones, you know, like when I became a vice president, or when I became a CMO, or when I left a, you know, when I left a very stable company to go to a riskier startup, or even that campaign that really was a big win, or the one that wasn't a big win. Those moments, it's not just the big moments, it's about the day to day. It's about getting better every day, so that those defining moments happen in the journey. And I think it's really about the journey, because it's how you show up and you grow. And one of the things I tell the team all the time is what we did yesterday is not good enough for tomorrow. And I think that absolutely matters in your career, and I think that's ultimately what defines your career is how you adjust and adapt. And now, of course, I'm really trying to help others navigate their careers as well.
Speaker 2:Okay. Well, what's something that you think women leaders bring to the table that our industry needs more of?
Speaker 3:Well, you know, obviously, empathy I brought that up earlier but it's really a deeper understanding of that consumer experience and since women make up half the population, it makes sense that when we're designing product or, you know, building risk models, that we would really shape our solutions to be more inclusive, and I think that's unique to women. I think we really are intuitive and can really make sure that our products and our solutions anything in payments right are focused on all the population. I also think women have a collaborative leadership style and I think in today's world, especially when you think about AI, the technology is fabulous, but I think the people skills around that technology are really going to matter. I think that's going to stand out. We talk a lot about, you know, working the matrix right and really being able to work across groups, and I think women really do that well typically. Is that collaborative spirit?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's been a pretty common theme with the answer to that question the collaboration the empathy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, it's like it's kind of and also you brought it up and it's been brought up in one other episode as well is that women make and I think the stat that was given was like 72 or 82 percent of the financial decisions in a household. A woman makes that decision and then here we are in payments and so many men are making the design decisions on products. So it is kind of an interesting dynamic. So I'm glad you brought that up.
Speaker 3:Well, and I think just even the visibility around that the industry does skew males. So how do we create products that are just authentic to the world around us? So I definitely think women help. I totally agree with you.
Speaker 2:Well, let's talk a little bit about innovation and impact. So, as we've talked about and you've already said it this industry is changing quickly. There's a lot of innovation, so how do you stay on top of that, how do you stay innovative as a leader?
Speaker 3:Well, we talk a lot about being your own chief knowledge officer and spending a lot of time. I mean, there's so many resources today, whether it's LinkedIn, learning or podcasts like this one, all the industry events, like one of my favorite is the Women Leadership Summit that's in Atlanta every year. You know, we really do challenge our employees to go, you know, to get that knowledge. Now, paysafe has a great training program, and we do.
Speaker 3:You know, we actually are in the midst of doing AI training for the whole company, which is all fabulous, but I think you have to take it on yourself and really go out there and find out what's happening in the industry, because, if not, you're going to get left behind because there's so much going on. And I think and again, you can't have this conversation without talking about AI. I was actually at a conference and the speaker said and I can't quote them because I can't remember the name of the speaker but they said AI is going to be as big as the internet was and I was like, wow, that's a great way to think about it. It really is going to change the world.
Speaker 2:Yeah, without a doubt. So it's a good segue into the next question.
Speaker 3:So what is one of the main changes or trends that you're really keeping a close eye on? It absolutely has to be AI. You know, being a marketer, you know. I think we, we everyone jumped on being able to use it for content right and making your content better. But that's just the very beginning. There's so many layers of how we can take AI as a technology and then allow us to really communicate more personally to every consumer, every merchant that we're marketing to, which is really exciting. But, again, it's really about the personal skills and those human skills, because having the data, having the technology, is great, but we still have to be able to communicate with the people we work around and collaborate, which, again, is one of the strengths for women. But I think that's the key. I think the people who are going to do the best in an AI-driven world are ones that still can work with others very well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think AI is one of those things that when you step back and look at the broader picture, it can change individuals, it can change teams, it can change companies, it can change industries and there's so much going on and within our industry because I'm talking to CEOs, normally on these conversations they all bring up how they can use it for fraud and kind of compliant, a lot of those things. But I think marketing huge right, you know there's so much can be done within marketing and even just products. And then you've got MasterCard and Visa that come out with these announcements about. You know, basically bots will be buying things and you know that whole agentic commerce thing. So there's just so much in our industry to keep up.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, and that kind of goes back to your previous question around learning. It really does make sense to stay on top of everything, even using an LLM to do research. It's definitely a very dynamic world to these days.
Speaker 2:Yeah, without a doubt. So how do you think that women leaders can influence the future direction of our industry?
Speaker 3:Well, I think women bring a fresh perspective, you kind of that lived experience and and really just that natural focus on inclusion. And I think, as we you know, as we look at payments and how people access and move money, you know I really do feel like there's an opportunity for new voices to drive innovation, and I think that's a part of what women can do for the industry. But also I think we can really change what fintech looks like. You know, as more and more women are joining our industry, you know that really helps the next generation envision themselves there as well.
Speaker 2:Well, let's talk a little bit about mentorship. So over your career, have you had mentors and if you have, how have they sort of influenced your career?
Speaker 3:I definitely have. But I think the interesting, the interesting fun fact about my mentors is most of them have been men, and and so for me, as a woman who has enjoyed a quality career in payments, I try to actually mentor women, because I didn't have as many women earlier in my career, and so PaySafe actually has a mentorship program where it's a year program where you work with one particular person for that year, and so I have chosen to work with women each year and it's been great because I've gotten to know them a little bit better in their career goals. But, as kind of a fun fact, I've now actually worked with them on projects and now I know them very well, so it's worked out really well. But when I think about the kind of women who have impacted my life, I can kind of think of two that really stand out in particular. One is a lady named Chris Peterson, who's one of our sales leaders today, but I've known her for many years at previous companies and she has always had kind of a strength and presence and really been an authentic leader, and so it's been great to have someone who's kind of such a powerful example of what kind of how you lead with grit and grace.
Speaker 3:And then the second is when I went to Verint, the CMO there, Celia Flyshaker. She was just truly what a great CMO looks like. She knew how to elevate marketing but also really stay grounded and focus on outcomes, and I think that's what we're all looking for right is who we want to be when we grow up, and so Celia definitely was one for me that I was like, wow, that's the kind of CMO I want to be, so anyway. So I'm certainly thankful for the example and absolutely all the every mentor, any person who shaped my career I'm so grateful for. But I am grateful for now that there's starting to be enough women that we can really mentor that next generation and really try to kind of pay it forward.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I want to kind of double click on the mentorship because I think it's so vitally important and it's great that PaySafe has like a program. A lot of companies aren't either big enough or maybe too early in their evolution to have those kinds of things. So maybe what are your thoughts on kind of finding that mentorship kind of on your own and we've also talked a lot about during this series is like mentorship doesn't have to be an official program. Right, it can be. You can get it from a book, you can get it from a podcast, you can get it from friends and family, you know.
Speaker 3:So maybe some of your thoughts on that Well and that's actually a really great point is a mentorship doesn't need to be 12 months long or one month long, or someone you talk to every week.
Speaker 3:I really think there's an opportunity to if there's someone that you aspire to be, just invite them to lunch, have a conversation and you absolutely you know, I think there's something to be said for I mean, I love all the learning opportunities, but I do think it's something to be said for talking to someone about, kind of what their career journey was and then how you want to emulate that or not emulate that. So, yes, sometimes just a lunch is enough, or it's hey, can I call you every once in a while, and I think that's something that I think sometimes you just have to be bold and ask for it. Most people are going to say, yes, you know anybody who comes to me and said, hey, can we go to lunch and talk about, and talk about marketing or your career. I'm absolutely going to do it, and so, and I think most people will. So that's a great point. It's definitely anyone who inspires you or someone who you've seen their journey and you want to learn about it. I think you should definitely ask.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know, the other thing that's come up a good bit is sort of the difference in mentorship and sponsorship, where sponsors kind of are talking about you when you're not in the room, versus mentors who are trying to help you for your career. So kind of curious if you've had any experience with sponsors and if so, kind of maybe what that was like.
Speaker 3:You know, I've had a little bit of both and sometimes it can be the same person.
Speaker 3:But I think your career and that journey of career and who you want to be doesn't always align with the role you're in or the role you want to be doesn't always align with the role you're in or the role you aspire to be, and so I think it's really two separate purposes. It's if you've got a career goal, that's absolutely a sponsor, but then a mentor is really it's just a lot more personal relationship on what you're trying to accomplish in your life. I find that a lot of times with the folks I mentor, the ones I've been mentored, I become their friends because you start learning about not just their work life but their family life and where they want to go on vacation and those type of things, and it's and I think a lot of times careers are just about relationships and sponsorship is absolutely so important, especially for women, because basically I was laughing with someone the other day we always talk at the old boys club there's not a women's club and so we do need to help each other.
Speaker 2:Why not Right, right, no, I love it. I love it. So if someone is coming, maybe right out of school into payments, or maybe they're changing from another industry or vertical, they're coming into payments, it's a woman. She's looking to you for some advice. What would you tell her to help her be successful?
Speaker 3:I think the thing to know about payments is that the industry moves fast and it changes quickly and you have to be prepared to change. For that change with the industry and because innovation is constant. Like you just have to always think freshly. And it's okay to speak up, ask questions, be bold, because that is going to matter in the payments world. You know I tell my team all the time be a change agent. Change is going to happen, so why not embrace it and make the most of it? The other thing is you know no is an opportunity and don't just accept no, like figure out the yes in that no and then figure out how you make the most of that. And I think sometimes we let.
Speaker 3:If someone says, oh, that's not a great idea or oh, we don't need to do that now, well, maybe we don't need to do it now, but why not do it in six months? And let's figure out a reason and business case for doing that. You know how do we get that outcome to come? And then, finally, like, really invest in relationships, because in the end, when I think about my career, I do think about the people that I've worked with all these years in payments and, again, like in an AI-driven world, human skills matter. So that's kind of the advice I give. That's probably more than one, but that's what I typically give.
Speaker 2:I think I've asked for one, but I don't think I've ever gotten just one.
Speaker 3:There's just too many things. There's too many things, absolutely.
Speaker 2:One more kind of fun question before we wrap up. So when you get your phone out and you look at it, what is your most used app that's non-business related, and what does that say about you?
Speaker 3:Got it. I would tell you. If you asked me for my business app, it would probably be Delta, because I fly all the time. But for my non-business app, a typical Saturday morning for me is walking out in the garden looking around at my flowers, and I've got an app called Picture this on my phone that you can basically take a picture of a flower and it'll tell you what if it's sick or if it's not sick, what it is. You know, if my roses aren't growing like they're not growing this year, figuring out what's going on.
Speaker 3:So I became a gardener during COVID and just really have embraced it. I like the solitude of the garden, but I also feel like gardening is a peaceful way to kind of be out in the world, is a peaceful way to kind of be out in the world, but also like it helps me stay curious, which is what I like to be in my work career and also nurture the people around me. So it's kind of it actually makes sense that I like to garden. But basically I think it says that I guess growing gardens like growing a team maybe, but that's definitely the app I use the absolute most.
Speaker 2:So when you use that app, does it tell you like you need to water it or you're watering it too much, or those kinds of things?
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely. And again, like where I live, this year has gotten so much rain, and so you know, when my app says it's overwatering, it's like, well, what do you do? It's raining, but you know. It's just a simple app. It tells you. Sometimes, if you're in a gardening store, you can find out what a plant is, because it's all about learning, right, it's kind of that continuous learning around. I know so much more about the type of plants than I ever did, and I never even cared what a plant looked like. I just said, oh, that's a nice bloom. And now I kind of know the details behind them.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice, Well behind them. Nice, nice, Well. Before we go, I wanted to just kind of open up the floor, see if there's anything else you wanted to cover, any other comments maybe you want to make about you or Paysafe, or anything else? Just kind of open up the floor and after that we'll wrap up.
Speaker 3:Okay, well, first of all, I love that you're highlighting women in payments for your podcast, so thank you very much. I really do think the future is bright and there's so many opportunities in payments, and especially women in payments, and I do think these type of conversations kind of help us bring the future forward. So thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so, alyssa. Again, thank you so much for being on the show. I know your time is very valuable, so again, thank you for being here today.
Speaker 3:It was a pleasure. Thank you, Greg.
Speaker 2:And to all your listeners out there. I thank you for your time as well, and until the next story.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us this week on the Leaders in Payments podcast. Make sure you visit our website at leadersinpaymentscom, where you can subscribe to the show and where you'll find our show notes. If you enjoyed listening, please share on your social channels as well.