Diversity is the invisible infrastructure of payments
Oftentimes, career paths follow a predetermined track: attending the "right" schools for the "right" number of years to access the "right" flow of professional opportunities. I remember absorbing that notion early on - as if my future had already been mapped out for me, provided I stayed on that track. Over time, that predictability began to feel suffocating. So I chose a different direction. I interrupted my studies in France, where I grew up, and moved to India to study at a renowned business school.
There, I was one of just five international students among more than 1,000, and one of only 50 women. Despite the obstacles, I embraced the experience as an opportunity to broaden my worldview. Beyond the school walls, I witnessed firsthand the power of diversity. I met people with different backgrounds, cultures, and ambitions. Soon after, I moved to Australia, and that's where my career truly gained momentum. I focused on delivering results, and the leadership roles that followed quickly were earned through performance and impact - not tenure, background, or gender.
That merit-based culture felt distinctly Australian to me, and stood in contrast to the more traditional, hierarchy and gender-driven career paths I had seen in France and Europe.
However, the further I progressed, the more isolated I felt. Most of my peers were men. I was managing men and being led by men - a dynamic that echoed my experience at business school in India. Even in different countries - I worked in seven in the course of my career - the pattern persisted: as decision-making rooms became smaller, they also became less diverse. At one global Fortune 500 company, women represented just 3% of managers with P&L ownership - and I was one of them. This creates not only a problem of representation, but it also lessens the growth and innovation potential.
Over time, it became clear to me that I needed to be intentional about fostering more diverse teams. And that diversity should be transversal to all initiatives within organizations. By being intentional, I helped raise that percentage from 3% to 35% in 24 months in that company. But I know it doesn't end there. Currently, in my team at EBANX, over 50% of the commercial leadership is female. This is no coincidence; it's by design. It is also intentionally diverse - Americans, Brazilians, Europeans, Asians - and spans generations, with leaders in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
Diversity - in all its forms: gender, culture, language, and experience - is what allows us to build real connections. In our industry, we often talk about rails, APIs, and settlement. But the truth is, business is built on personal engagements and conversations. With homogeneous teams, we lose depth and, consequently, the complexity needed to foster genuine connections.
Last month, I attended the Women in Payments Symposium in Washington for the first time. I encountered an environment of trust, vulnerability, and candid exchange. There, one point became crystal clear, a point I have championed throughout my journey as a leader: diversity is the invisible infrastructure of the payments industry, and yet it is essential. It creates an ecosystem that attracts real talent and ultimately enables meaningful connections and access.
When we speak with a payment decision-maker at a major merchant in San Francisco, Shanghai, London, or Dubai, about the impact of local payment methods in Brazil, South Africa, or India, the first step in closing a deal is fostering in that decision-maker a deep understanding of life in these markets.
What does access really look like in these countries? How do people really live their lives, how do they interact with one another, and how do payments enable this day-to-day, while reflecting their behavior? If they can understand and relate to it, it is because our team is aligned with the diversity of the world we serve.
It is these diverse connections that are transforming the payments industry - and they will transform it even more. Over the next 10 years, more than 1 billion people from emerging markets are expected to join the global consumer base. Betting on the same old formulas will not be enough to reach this new world that is rising. We need to grow our teams, make them more plural, complex, and competitive.
Alongside empathy, adaptability is another fundamental aspect of diversity. Consumer market profiles are increasingly diffuse and challenging. Being creative, seizing opportunities, and challenging obvious flows have become the main growth path. I am tested daily to be more empathetic and more adaptable. And I firmly believe that these are the qualities elevating the payments industry to the next level.
Hard work will always be important for a career - it enabled me to reach leadership positions. But equally important, I have learned that diversity does not run counter to performance - rather, it runs alongside, fostering and accelerating growth.