GLOBAL MENTORSHIP COUNCIL

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MENTORSHIP FOR A MODERN AGE.

We are proud of the overwhelmingly positive feedback for our global initiative. But good can be the enemy of great, and that’s why we’re responding to the one consistent message that keeps coming up: the need for a facilitated mentoring program to help women build their careers in the payments and fintech industry.

That’s why we’ve created the Global Mentorship Council, a group of passionate female leaders from around the world. Together, these talented and accomplished women from within our industry guide and shape the Women in Payments Global Mentorship Program.

We believe mentorship is crucial so that more women advance in a still male-dominated payments and fintech industry by:

Highlighting new opportunities for personal and career growth
Building up confidence in decision-making
Navigating challenging professional situations
Creating an ongoing, mutually beneficial relationship where mentees are supported and championed towards their goals, and mentors stay on top of technology advancements, fresh cultural insights and drivers and preferences of a new generation

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OUR GLOBAL MENTORSHIP COUNCIL

JOANNA AKERS-KHAN

Senior Director Global Regional Marketing

Feedzai

JOANNA AKERS-KHAN

Joanna Akers-Khan is the Senior Director, Global Regional Marketing at Feedzai, a leader in financial crime prevention. With over a decade of experience in AI, fraud prevention, and security, she specializes in regional growth, community building, and brand advocacy, scaling Feedzai’s business across N.A., EMEA, LATAM, and APAC. Beyond her corporate role, Joanna is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, leading Feedzai’s Women in Tech Group and serving on the Women in Payments USA Advisory Board.

JEHAN ASSAD

President and Founder of Jehan Assad

Global Strategic Advisory

JEHAN ASSAD

Jehan Assad is the President & Founder of: Jehan Assad, Global Strategic Advisory. Her firm specializes in Global Account Management Executive Coaching, B2B Sales Coaching, and Business Development . She has most recently held the role of Vice President, Global Strategic Accounts at Finastra, Europe’s largest Banking Software provider. She has led strategic enterprise sales and enterprise account management for global financial services organizations, both in the fintech space and in Payments and Corporate Banking.

JESSICA CUMMISKEY

Human Resources Director

Global Payments Oceania

JESSICA CUMMISKEY

Jessica is an experienced People and Culture leader with over 20 years' experience partnering with senior leaders in large organisations to build inclusive, high-performing and commercially aligned cultures. Known for her authentic, empathetic and pragmatic leadership style, Jessica is a trusted advisor to executives who brings clarity, emotional intelligence and commercial insight to complex people and organisational challenges.

Jessica is currently the HR Director, Oceania at Global Payments, where she provides strategic people leadership across the region, aligning local people strategies with global priorities. Her extensive career has also included senior Human Resources roles at Bank of Queensland, Herbert Smith Freehills and Accenture, and her tertiary qualifications include Bachelor degrees at the University of Queensland.

MEGAN HENNING

Head, North American Receivables & Trade Finance Product

BMO

MEGAN HENNING

Megan is Head of North American Receivables & Trade Finance Product within BMO’s Treasury & Payments Solutions organization, helping businesses thrive by facilitating payments faster and safer. Previously, she spent 15 years at Wells Fargo leading teams in Operations, Implementations, and Product with ACH, integrated payables & receivables, and agile development. She has passion for empowering others through strengths-based coaching and mentorship. Megan holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Spanish. Megan also earned Scrum Product Owner and Accredited ACH Professional certifications. Megan enjoys time with family and friends outdoors including walking, biking, camping, and gardening. She is actively engaged in community support for homeless veterans.

NETRA KUMAR

Managing Director and Global Head of Healthcare

Bank of America

NETRA KUMAR

Netra Kumar is currently a Managing Director and Global Head of Healthcare with Bank of America’s Global Payments Solutions business. Based in New York, she manages a team that is responsible for providing working capital and cash management solutions for a portfolio of large corporate pharmaceutical and med tech clients, in a global capacity. Netra is a Sales Leader with a track record of strategic leadership that jump-started growth, turned around businesses, and drove results. Netra’s experience spans over 22 years in Banking and during this time, she has been a thought leader and trusted advisor to S&P500 key accounts across six continents and has led teams of up to ~200, across a cross-section of industry sectors and multiple geographies.

JESSICA RICHARDS

Head of Market Development, Payments

NatWest

JESSICA RICHARDS

Jessica is Head of Market Development for NatWest, where she is responsible for the core payments strategy as well as regulatory, industry and external engagement across the payments market. Her
team is the focal point for the Bank’s payments strategy and strategic insights, as well engagement across the industry where NatWest plays a leading role, processing almost 1 in 4 payments in the UK. She is part of the Bank’s Payments ExCo and also sits on a number of industry Boards on behalf of NatWest.

RAKHI SHRIVASTAVA

Business Product Owner (Senior Lead)

Partior

RAKHI SHRIVASTAVA

Based in Singapore, Rakhi Shrivastava is currently Business Product Owner(Senior Lead) in Partior. As part of the role, Rakhi is responsible for the cross-border payments business and payments innovation for Partior. Rakhi has 20 years of industry experience across global banks such as J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank and consulting firms like Accenture, IBM etc. Rakhi is a payments enthusiast with a passion for driving innovation and simplifying financial transactions. Rakhi is a dedicated volunteer committed to women’s empowerment, actively engaging in initiatives that promote gender equality, skill development, and leadership opportunities for women.