Press
NACHA President and CEO, Janet Estep, Named One of the Most Influential Women in Payments
HERNDON, VA (April 18, 2013) – NACHA –The Electronic Payments Association’s President and CEO, Janet O. Estep, has been named to PaymentsSource’s list of the Most Influential Women in Payments. Estep was awarded this honor by the editors of PaymentsSource for her significant achievements, exceptional leadership, and promotion of innovation in the payments industry.
“Jan’s leadership, passion, and dedication have resulted in the continued development and growth of the ACH Network,” said Colleen Taylor, executive vice president, Treasury Management, Capital One, and NACHA Board Vice Chairperson. “It is no surprise that she was awarded this prestigious designation. It is a testament to her vision of the future and commitment to industry collaboration to identify opportunities to move the ACH Network and payments industry forward.”
A total of 20 payments executives, representing a wide range of payments constituencies, including issuing banks, payments networks, merchant acquirers, and payments technology companies, among others, were named to the 2013 Most Influential Women in Payments list. The honorees included: Ann Cairns, MasterCard; Ranjana Clark, PayPal/eBay; Joyce Cook, International CyberTrans; Donna Embry, Midwest Acquirers Association, Payment Alliance International; Kim Fitzsimmons, Cynergy Data; Annmarie “Mimi” Hart, MagTek; Lynn Heitman, U.S. Bancorp; Julie Joseforsky, Fifth Third Bancorp; Pamela Joseph, U.S. Bancorp; Laura Kelly, American Express; Deborah McWhinney, Citigroup; Cynthia Murray, Bank of America, and NACHA Board Member; Diane Offereins, Discover; Barbara Pacheco, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; Linda Perry, independent consultant; Diane Reyes, HSBC; Ginger Schmeltzer, Fiserv; Jennifer Schulz, Visa; Secil Watson, Wells Fargo.
“I am humbled to be recognized alongside such remarkable women,” said Estep. “Making an impact in the ever-changing payments industry is not an easy feat, and these women have been able to accomplish much to drive our industry forward. This designation is truly an honor.”
As president and CEO of NACHA, Estep guides NACHA’s daily operations and rulemaking processes, and works to encourage the development, promotion, and use of electronic payment solutions such as Direct Deposit via ACH and Direct Payment via ACH. Her responsibilities include ensuring that the ACH Network remains a safe, high-quality payments system, though enforcement of the fair and equitable NACHA Operating Rules, which govern the Network and guide risk management and create certainty for all participants.
Estep also leads NACHA in industry collaboration, education, and dialogue to support the development of innovative payment solutions, thereby strengthening the Network and the payments industry.
Prior to joining NACHA, Estep served as executive vice president of U.S. Bank’s Transaction Services division.
About NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association
NACHA manages the development, administration, and governance of the ACH Network, the backbone for the electronic movement of money and data. The ACH Network provides a safe, secure, and reliable network for direct account-to-account consumer, business, and government payments. Annually, it facilitates billions of Direct Deposit via ACH and Direct Payment via ACH transactions. Used by all types of financial institutions, the ACH Network is governed by the fair and equitable NACHA Operating Rules, which guide risk management and create payment certainty for all participants. As a not-for-profit association, NACHA represents more than 10,000 financial institutions via 17 regional payments associations and direct membership. Through its industry councils and forums, NACHA brings together payments system stakeholders to foster dialogue and innovation to strengthen the ACH Network. To learn more, please visit www.nacha.org, www.electronicpayments.org, www.payitgreen.org, and http://direct.nacha.org.