As a CEO-led organization, the Payments Leadership Council is committed to expanding global commerce and driving inclusive growth by encouraging public policies that protect consumers, foster inclusion, and promote innovation and competition in payments.
By uniting industry chief executives in its mission, the Payments Leadership Council will serve as the voice of the industry on select government policy and regulatory issues. It will promote public policies that enable our mission of inclusive growth through:
Enhancing the resilience of the payments systems by safeguarding consumer information while strengthening system-wide cybersecurity. Advocating for robust fraud prevention policies and technologies to safeguard consumers, businesses, and the broader payments ecosystem.
Enabling greater access for consumers and small businesses, including internet, financial education, fast payments systems, and partnerships, so they can benefit from the power of digital payments.
Advocating for a clear and robust national framework for consumer privacy and personal data that enhances consumer rights and enables continued innovation in the use of data.
Promoting national treatment of private companies that ensures market access and incentives for private sector investment and new products. Advocating for seamless cross-border data flows, particularly in key markets, to support digital trade.
Ensuring U.S.-led innovations in payments are widely accessible and encouraged around the world. Supporting emerging technologies and business models that improve access, security, and ease of use for consumers, small businesses, and governments.
Promoting streamlined payment processes, ensuring secure, efficient, and reliable transactions that enhance consumer trust and convenience. Advocating for modernized MCC structures that reflect evolving payment methods and commerce trends.
Supporting the integration of digital assets within the payments ecosystem while ensuring responsible regulation that encourages innovation. Advocating for domestic and international trade policies that encourage innovation, efficient transactions, and cross-border flows.
Raj Date is the founding director of the Payments Leadership Council. As a longtime investor in and advocate for the promise of financial technology, Raj established the PLC as a forum for industry CEOs to share their perspectives on the public policies and payments solutions that will expand global commerce and drive inclusive growth.
Outside his work with the Council, Raj serves as the Managing Partner of Fenway Summer→, a fintech venture investment firm, and the Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of FS Vector, a fintech advisory firm. He also serves as a Director for a number of innovative firms in financial services.
Raj was the first-ever Deputy Director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). As the Bureau’s second-ranking official, he helped steward the CFPB’s strategy, its operations, and its policy agenda. He also served on the senior staff committee of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, and as a statutory deputy to the FDIC Board. Before being appointed Deputy Director, Raj acted as the interim leader of the new agency, serving as the Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury. He led the CFPB for most of the first six months after its launch.
Prior to his time in public policy, Raj was a Managing Director in the Financial Institutions Group at Deutsche Bank Securities and Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Development at Capital One Financial.
Raj is a graduate of the College of Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley and the Harvard Law School.
Stephen J. Squeri became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Company on February 1, 2018. In his previous role as Vice Chairman, Steve led the company’s Global Commercial Services group, as well as its shared services groups, which include technology, customer servicing, credit administration and business services functions.
Steve joined American Express in 1985 as a manager in the Travellers Cheque Group. From 2000 to 2002, he served as President of the Establishment Services group in the U.S. and Canada, and he was President of the Corporate Card group from 2002 to 2005, during which time he globalized the business. Steve became the company’s Chief Information Officer in 2005 and also led the Corporate Development function, overseeing mergers and acquisitions. In 2009, Steve was named Group President and led the formation of the Global Services Group, consolidating and globalizing the company’s shared services functions. He was named Vice Chairman in 2015.
Before joining American Express, Steve spent four years as a management consultant at Arthur Andersen and Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science and an MBA from Manhattan College.
Before joining American Express, Steve spent four years as a management consultant at Arthur Andersen and Company. He holds a Bachelor of Science and an MBA from Manhattan College.
Steve currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Valerie Fund and Manhattan College, and he is a member of the Board of Governors for Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School. He previously served on the boards of J.Crew Group, Inc., Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, American Express Global Business Travel, NY Downtown Hospital and the Columbus Citizens Foundation.
Stephanie Ferris became FIS president and chief executive officer in December 2022 after being named FIS president in February 2022. She also became a member of FIS’ Board of Directors in October of 2022. Prior to her current role, Stephanie served as chief operating officer and chief administrative officer of FIS, responsible for leading our global strategy, technology transformation and the global integration of FIS and Worldpay, driving cost, revenue synergies and long-range strategic planning.
She came to FIS as the chief financial officer of Worldpay, Inc., which was acquired by FIS in July 2019. Worldpay, Inc. was formed in 2018 when Cincinnati-based Vantiv, Inc. acquired Worldpay Group plc, a London-based leader in global e-commerce and technology-led payment solutions.
She is an experienced global business executive with expertise leading payments and technology platform businesses, driving digital transformation, front-line customer engagement, and inclusive growth. Stephanie is also a multiple award-winning finance leader who has also held a general manager role that transformed an underperforming business unit into the highest growth portfolio within the company. She was the chief financial officer of the payments processing division of Fifth Third Bancorp, which was later spun out and became Vantiv, and held multiple progressive financial leadership roles at Fifth Third. Stephanie began her career in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is also a certified public accountant and graduate of Miami University.
She is a 2019 YWCA Career Women of Achievement honoree, a 2018 PaymentsSource Most Influential Women in Payments winner and a 2016 Stevie Awards for Women in Business silver honoree (Female Executive of the Year – Business Services – More Than 2,500 Employees – Services Industries).
Michael Miebach is Chief Executive Officer of Mastercard and a member of the company’s board of directors.
He is leading the company into a more digital world where the continued application of new technologies will further enable payments to become more seamless in the overall purchasing experience, while bolstering cyber services and data-powered insights.
Over the past five years, first as chief product officer and then president, Michael was critical to setting the strategy that transformed the company’s offerings from a consumer card-centric business to a platform supporting choice in how businesses, people and governments make payments. This strategy, combined with the company’s customer focus, helped Mastercard evolve and diversify into new areas including real-time payments, open banking, digital identity and other value-added services.
His collaborative approach creates scalable and trusted solutions for the exchange of payments and data and can be seen in his leadership of the acquisitions of Vocalink and Finicity, as well as the pending transaction with Nets – each expanding Mastercard’s range of payment flows.
Michael joined Mastercard in 2010 to lead its Middle East and Africa operations, where he helped shape and advance the company’s financial inclusion efforts with targeted solutions for governments and their citizens across the region. Earlier in his career, Michael held senior roles at both Barclays Bank and Citibank.
He is a member of the digital advisory council of Fannie Mae, which makes sustainable homeownership and workforce rental housing a reality for millions of Americans, and a member of the board of directors for the nonprofit Accion, which gives people across the world the financial tools and services they need to prosper.
Michael is also a board member at large for the Ronald McDonald House New York City, a charity that offers vital resources and compassionate care to children and their families being treated by the world’s leading pediatric cancer hospitals.
Michael holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Passau in Germany.
Ryan McInerney has been with Visa since June of 2013 and serves as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to assuming the role of CEO in February 2023, he was President, responsible for Visa’s global businesses.
Prior to joining Visa, Mr. McInerney served as Chief Executive Officer of consumer banking for JPMorgan Chase, a business with more than 75,000 employees and revenues of approximately $14 billion. Previously, Mr. McInerney served as Chief Operating Officer for home lending and as Chief Risk Officer for Chase’s consumer businesses. He also served as Chase’s head of product and marketing for consumer banking.
Previously, Mr. McInerney was a principal at McKinsey & Company in the firm’s retail banking and payments practices. Mr. McInerney received a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Mike Lyons is Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a global leader in financial services and payments technology solutions for financial institutions, businesses and consumers.
Prior to joining the company, Lyons served as President of The PNC Financial Services Group where he led PNC’s lines of business. Prior to his role as President, Lyons served as head of Corporate & Institutional Banking at PNC where he played a significant role in building PNC’s national franchise.
Before joining PNC, Lyons held various leadership roles at Bank of America. As global head of corporate development and strategic planning, Lyons helped drive the bank's growth strategy. Additionally, he led mergers and acquisitions in the private equity business, and investor relations. Before Bank of America, Lyons served as portfolio manager at Maverick Capital where he invested in financial institutions globally.
He is a national trustee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a member of the board of directors at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and board chair for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Lyons served as chair of the Board of Directors of Early Warning Services, LLC, the owner and operator of Zelle and PAZE. Lyons graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.