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Executive Interview Series: VP of Integrations & Product Management at North American Bancard, Rebecca Kersey

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The Executive Interview Series provides readers exclusive insights from movers and shakers in the payments industry. The Payments Industry is undergoing continuous transformation; this series provides diverse perspectives on everything from strategy to payments technology and the industry’s future.

In this interview, TSG’s Market Intelligence team-member Alex Ferguson sat down with Rebecca Kersey, Vice President of Integrations and Product Management at North American Bancard (NAB), to learn more about establishing and maintaining partnerships, ISVs, embedded finance, and NAB’s focus on all things integrated moving forward.  

Background: Rebecca is a Payment Industry Leader with extensive experience in embedded payments, e-commerce, ISV, ISO, alternative payments, processor POS, and gateway technologies. Throughout her ~25-year career, she has globally worked in consulting and payments-focused roles at companies such as Hewlett Packard, Visa, Yapstone, and North American Bancard. Rebecca graduated from the University of Glasgow, earning a Master of Art in Economics focusing on International Monetary Policy.

Q: Alex F.

Tell me about yourself. How did you enter the payments industry?

A: Rebecca K.

I am the VP of Integrations and Product Management at North American Bancard (NAB). I love exploring and traveling to new countries. Currently, I reside in Austin, Texas, with my husband, two kids, and a house full of many pets. I have worked in payments worldwide for many years, which qualifies me as a happy payment geek. My interest in the payment industry started with studying Economics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. I was highly interested in monetary policy and how technological advancement was changing the way of commerce.

This interest and passion for learning defined my career path. It all started with my time at LogicaCMG in London, the company that created the SWIFT Network for managing cross-border payments worldwide. There, I had the opportunity to work on early developments in Chip and Pin credit card technology. That experience in global payments drove me to consider working on e-commerce platforms at Hewlett Packard (HP). There I managed the direct partnership between HP and Visa. I would later join Visa to develop their product, Visa CheckOut. Since then, I’ve grown to know a very different payment space, having worked for a Payfac. I am proud to work for NAB, which has allowed me to bring my partnership, payment, and technology experience together to drive embedded payments and new product development.

Q: Alex F.

You’ve had a career spanning over two decades across the payments and consulting industries at organizations such as Hewlett Packard, Visa, Yapstone, and even recently, operating your consultancy practice. How have these past experiences aided you in your role at NAB? 

A: Rebecca K.

My varied career across multiple parts of the payment ecosystem and technology firms has enabled me to look beyond the norm. I welcome new technically focused ideas. I understand the value strong relationships bring to a small consultancy company and a large payments organization like NAB. Having experienced both sides of a payment partnership, I know Independent Software Vendors’ (ISVs’) needs. Putting partners first is the only way to create true product-led growth in the payment industry. In all my roles, I have focused on building solid relationships with partners and internal teams. While having the right payment technology is a huge benefit, having a win-win ISV partnership approach to strengthen each other’s portfolios is even more valuable.

Q: Alex F.

At NAB, your VP of Product Management role focuses on Embedded Payments. Tell me more about what products you and NAB are helping develop in that role.

A: Rebecca K.

Embedded payment partnerships are a critical strategic lever in the growth strategy for NAB and our ISV partners. Increasing embedded payment partnerships and supporting payment products is my team’s mission. My role oversees identifying the needs of ISVs and their merchants, recommending the correct product or mix of products, and ensuring a smooth and quick integration process. NAB is here to help growing ISVs achieve success through various solutions for card-present, e-commerce, and mobile point-of-sale products. These payment products are accessible through APIs, SDKs, and semi-integrated solutions on our award-winning Developer Portal. The product teams at NAB continue to improve on these products and create new solutions for the ever-changing needs of our ISV partners and their customers. Recently, NAB has developed superior products for ISVs in onboarding, invoicing, business reporting, and reputation management.

Q: Alex F.

Embedded payments and ISVs are hot topics in the industry right now. How does NAB differentiate its product offerings in this space from the competition?

A: Rebecca K.

At NAB, we create seamless and frictionless embedded payment products and integrations. NAB is competitive in the embedded payment space because we are a processor, gateway, and acquirer. This unique structure allows us to provide competitively priced end-to-end integrated payment solutions. Also various ISV services for ISVs, from inventory management, omnichannel solutions, tracking, and reporting to fraud protection. Furthermore, NAB accommodates payment solutions for the high-risk industry, which not all processors can handle today.

One of the critical differentiators of NAB’s products is that we cover many use cases for both card-present and card-not-present scenarios to meet ISVs’ needs. Our card-present embedded solutions allow for payments at the table, in-store over a mobile device, and through several integrated terminal devices and POS software products. We provide competitive online payment solutions that allow ISVs to control the entire customer experience. If the ISV wishes to avoid the burden of PCI responsibility, NAB has hosted products that also cover those needs.

For some partners, the hosted product provides them with peace of mind that the risk of handling sensitive financial data is wholly offloaded to NAB. With our solutions, payments can be embedded on proprietary-built websites and integrated into hosted e-commerce platforms. Our easy, transparent, and supportive onboarding process is competitive as it allows our ISVs to have their customers up to running quickly.

Q: Alex F.

Both your current and past roles have an emphasis on partnerships with external organizations from both a partner development and partner management perspective. What’s the most significant challenge when working with several partners across particular industries with varying technical stacks and needs?

A: Rebecca K.

The greatest challenge I have experienced working with partners across different industries with different technical requirements and needs is fostering communication and collaboration amongst all parties. I can say that it is never easy to get everyone on the same page.   My advice is to obtain a deep understanding of each partner’s unique needs and constraints. Do this to ensure you can bridge any gaps that may exist. Being flexible and adapting processes and technologies to accommodate diverse technologies. Accommodate stakeholders while still meeting project goals and timelines is also not easy. In my experience, flexibility is often the only way to achieve a positive experience for all parties.

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This is the approach I have taken and continue to take as I work with NAB’s partners. Another point I would add is that being flexible, adaptive, and having a deep understanding of needs is just as important when working with internal partners as with external ones.

Q: Alex F.

Your career has focused on several emerging payment topics besides embedded payments, such as alternative payments and payment facilitation. What issue has caught your attention throughout your job, and what will be a key differentiating factor for payment companies soon?

A: Rebecca K.

Every year there are more and more articles listing the top trends in payments, but having been in the industry for so long, I’ve observed the top trend is the constant advancement and growing reach of payments. The expansion of payments into more and more aspects of our lives is an ongoing change that payment companies need to embrace. Consumers want quicker gratification, and the payment industry is solving that by providing more accessible and integrated payment solutions.

Several years ago, you would never have expected the ability to conduct a transaction by simply speaking to a device, telling it to buy a product, or flicking your wrist to command a wearable device purchase. Nor even to think you could pay for items as you roll down the road through your car’s onboard screen. Yet all of these are commonplace today. The key differentiating power for payment companies will be to meet the challenge of the expanding reach of payments. Also, ensure their solutions are so embedded and seamless that they are almost unnoticeable.

Q: Alex F.

What are you most excited about in NAB’s future? What should we expect to see with NAB five years down the line? 

A: Rebecca K.

I am proud that NAB has a reliable roadmap for embedded payments, an understanding of the importance of partnerships, and the drive to create new products. The focus on expanding NAB’s ISV markets and developing more solutions in the embedded payment space resonates with me. Now and for the future, NAB’s strategy is to be the top provider of embedded payment products continuously. NAB’s willingness to constantly evolve and improve in the ever-changing world of embedded payments excites me!