In the rapidly evolving payments and fintech industry, women are breaking barriers and shaping the future with innovation, resilience, and leadership. While International Women’s Day reminds us to celebrate women, we believe this message should resonate every day, especially when creating more space for women in payments and fintech.
That’s why we launched Women at the Forefront of Payments, a series of conversations with incredible women shaping our industry. Over the past few weeks, we’ve spoken with inspiring leaders about their journeys - the highs, challenges, and hopes for the future.
These insightful conversations explore their paths, leadership philosophies, and strategies for success, offering valuable lessons and advice for navigating the male-dominated fintech space. From overcoming gender biases to fostering inclusive workplaces, they share the triumphs and challenges that have shaped their careers.
These stories are full of wisdom, honesty, and heart, offering insights for anyone looking to grow in the space and a powerful reminder of the importance of representation. We’re proud to share their voices and keep the momentum going well beyond just one day.
We’re excited to share some key takeaways, along with links to each video, from exclusive interviews with some of the most successful women leading the way in payments and fintech:
Eline Blomme, Chief Strategy & Product Officer at Acquired.com
Ugnė Buračienė, Group CEO at payabl.
Marjan Delatinne, SVP Business Developments at Digital Asset
Bridget Hall, Leader of Real-Time Payments, Americas at ACI Worldwide
Lena Hackelöer, Founder & CEO at Brite Payments
Merima Mahmutović, Chair of the Executive Board at EWPN
Silvia Mensdorff-Pouilly, Co-Founder at EWPN
Vanita Pandey, Chief Marketing Officer at Caf
In a powerful conversation on leadership, diversity, and career growth in fintech, Vanita shares lessons from her journey as a woman navigating the male-dominated financial services sector.
From being the lone `diversity voice` in boardrooms to experiencing the pandemic’s impact on workplace culture, Vanita reflects on how authenticity and empathy have reshaped leadership - especially for women.
She offers practical advice on career development: embrace non-linear paths, stay open to uncertainty, build networks, and lead with humility.
Vanita also calls out workplace challenges like `weaponised incompetence` and invisible labour that often fall on women, while encouraging early confidence-building and inclusive environments where all voices are heard.
Vanita’s journey emphasises the importance of authentic leadership, continuous learning, and fostering inclusive environments where diverse voices can thrive. Her insights provide valuable guidance for anyone navigating the complexities of today’s workplace, especially in the fintech industry.
Watch the full discussion here.
In this episode of Women at the Forefront of Payments, Ugnė shares her unexpected journey into fintech, the leadership lessons she’s picked up along the way, and how she’s built a career rooted in purpose.
She didn’t set out to work in payments - she `walked into it` while working at a tech company that served banks. But nearly two decades later, that curiosity turned into a fulfilling, fast-paced career.
One of Ugnė`s proudest achievements has been growing payabl. from a 30-person team to over 300, now serving more than 1,000 merchants across Europe. But for Ugnė, the most rewarding part is seeing junior team members grow into confident leaders.
Her approach to leadership centres around living her values, staying curious, and prioritising both mental and physical wellbeing.
Ugnė’s story is a powerful reminder that success often comes from embracing the unexpected - and bringing others along with you as you grow.
In this inspiring conversation, Eline shares lessons from her professional experience in payments and fintech, offering honest, practical advice for women navigating male-dominated industries.
She stresses the importance of taking ownership of your career: being proactive, embracing uncertainty, and stepping beyond job descriptions to grow.
Drawing from personal experience, Eline talks about work-life integration and challenges assumptions around family planning, encouraging women not to delay life decisions waiting for the `perfect` time.
She also dives into workplace realities - addressing gender bias, pushing back on performance stereotypes, and setting strong professional boundaries.
Mentorship plays a key role in her journey, but Eline reminds us it doesn’t always need a formal title -advocates within your network can be just as powerful.
Eline's journey demonstrates that success comes from being proactive, resilient, and authentic while maintaining clear boundaries and embracing both opportunities and challenges along the way.
Watch the video interview here.
Bridget, recently recognised as one of American Banker's Most Influential Women in Payments for 2025, shares powerful insights from her journey in the payments industry and the key factors that contributed to her success, along with valuable advice for women starting or considering a career in this dynamic field.
Bridget emphasises the importance of staying receptive to unplanned moves - sometimes the most exciting opportunities come from the unexpected. In the fast-evolving payments space, adaptability is essential to stay relevant and continue growing within the industry.
Bridget shares two key strategies for success in male-dominated fields: developing self-awareness to overcome imposter syndrome and building meaningful relationships with male colleagues, which can open doors for support and advocacy.
One of the things Bridget is most passionate about is mentorship. She encourages finding more than one mentor - both inside and outside your organisation - and thinking of it like building your own `personal board of directors`. She also stresses the value of starting early, using mentorship as a way to grow and stay grounded throughout your professional path.
Bridget’s story is a great reminder of how important it is to embrace change, build real connections, and learn from different kinds of mentors along the way. Her advice is especially meaningful for women in payments and fintech - encouraging them to stay open to new opportunities, be flexible, and surround themselves with a strong support network throughout their careers.
In a heartening conversation, Silvia and Merima discuss women’s leadership in fintech, workplace diversity, and professional development.
Silvia, with her background in organic chemistry, emphasises the collaborative nature of the payments industry, stressing that `In payments, it's a chain. Unless the chain works, it breaks.` She highlights the importance of fostering positive relationships in the industry.
Merima shares her experience leading a significant digital transformation project during the COVID-19 pandemic, which becomes the foundation for her master’s thesis. She also showcases the potential of fintech in the Western Balkans, emphasising the region’s innovative spirit.
Both leaders offer practical advice for promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, such as implementing inclusive hiring practices, using gender-neutral language in job postings, and creating supportive environments. Silvia also discusses the EWPN and its approach of involving men in diversity efforts, offering valuable perspective-sharing and skill-building opportunities.
Their key message for aspiring professionals: `If it’s not okay, it’s not the end. Keep being brave and speaking out.`
This conversation underscores that embracing diversity, fostering collaboration, and building strong professional networks are crucial for career growth and industry innovation. Their journeys prove that inclusive leadership and collaboration drive meaningful change in both individual careers and the broader fintech industry.
In a truly inspiring conversation, Lena shares that her journey into fintech wasn’t something she planned – it found her. After graduating from university in 2010, she joined Klarna, more drawn to the fast-paced tech scale-up environment than to the payments industry itself. What began as an `accidental` entry turned into a remarkable career, one that continues to evolve and make an impact in the payments space.
A defining moment in Lena’s career was launching Brite Payments as a solo founder. Landing their first customer and proving the product worked turned an idea into a real, thriving business.
Her time at Klarna taught her to look at challenges differently: they’re not roadblocks, just problems waiting to be solved.
For Lena, the right mindset and a strong sense of purpose matter just as much as skills. At Brite Payments, she’s focused on building a place where people feel supported, motivated, and genuinely want to stick around.
For women in fintech, Lena’s advice is empowering: don’t be intimidated by the tech, find companies with women in leadership, and seek out managers who are genuinely invested in your growth.
The conversation highlights fintech’s shift toward greater diversity and inclusion, offering a glimpse into the exciting possibilities within this fast-moving industry.
In this empowering conversation, Marjan shares thoughtful insights on leadership, career growth, and personal development in the fintech space.
For her, professional growth isn’t defined by one big moment - it’s a continuous journey shaped by consistency, adaptability, passion, and purpose.
She breaks down her leadership approach into three key values: empowering diverse teams, really listening to clients, and embracing change as a catalyst for growth.
When it comes to challenges, Marjan sees them as opportunities. She brings a creative, solution-focused mindset to every hurdle.
One of her biggest lessons? Real client value starts with active listening. Truly understanding what clients need is the key to closing the gap between expectations and delivery.
This conversation with Marjan highlights the importance of continuous learning, adaptation, and maintaining a human-centric approach in the rapidly evolving fintech industry, offering valuable insights for professionals at any stage of their career.
A heartfelt thank you to each expert for generously sharing their valuable insights and taking the time to inspire us with their experiences. Your wisdom and leadership are truly appreciated and have provided us with powerful lessons for growth and success.
Oana Ifrim is Lead Editor and content strategy enthusiast on The Paypers’ Banking and Fintech team. She writes and manages features on a broad range of topics, including fintech, banking, payments, and industry trends, driving the editorial vision for cutting-edge topics, including payments, Open Banking, Open Finance, Embedded Finance, and Banking-as-a-Service. As an experienced editor and content lead, she oversees content creation and coverage, conducts expert interviews, and moderates video interviews, industry webinars, and panels. Oana also leads thought leadership initiatives, including whitepapers and in-depth industry reports. In addition to her editorial role, she represents The Paypers at major industry events, engaging with experts, gaining valuable insights, and staying ahead of key industry trends.
She can be reached at oana@thepaypers.com or on LinkedIn.
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