The People Making Payments Podcast

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Welcome to The People Making Payments Podcast - a show designed to help people working in payments identify the most significant developments shaping the industry and understand how to best anticipate, and act, on them. In each episode Shona Sabah will be sitting down with a senior payments leader for an honest and open conversation about how they’re interpreting key shifts and trends, the impact they’re seeing in their roles, and the practical advice and they'd give to others in similar positions. Recorded in our Central London studio, every conversation will balance professional insight with candid personal perspective and aims to be inspiring, educational and insightful in equal measure. Enjoy!

  1. 2d ago

    Delivering consistently great service to a complex customer base w/ Ali Wilkes (Paysafe) | PMP S2 E4

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona sits down with Ali Wilkes (Chief Customer Officer at Paysafe) to explore what it takes to deliver genuinely great service when there's no "typical" customer to design around, and what customer service needs to look like as AI becomes part of almost every interaction.   They start by looking at what it takes to deliver great service across a complex customer base 👇   ➡️ What role customer service plays in acquisition, retention and lifetime value today, and how that's changed as the industry has evolved ➡️ The new challenges that shift creates for the people and teams responsible for delivering great service ➡️ What it takes to deliver excellent service across a customer base as varied as Paysafe's, without diluting the experience for any one group ➡️ How that manifests in Ali's role specifically, sitting at the meeting point between the customer relationship and the internal teams responsible for delivering on it ➡️ Ali's advice for others managing customer service in similarly complex, multi-sided businesses   From there, the conversation turns to rethinking customer service for an AI-first future 🤖   ➡️ What the future of customer service looks like and why businesses need to be thinking about how to embed AI ➡️ Where the biggest opportunities lie, from day-to-day improvements to rethinking customer service altogether ➡️ How Paysafe is embracing AI and using it to change and improve the service it offers ➡️ What the use of AI means for people currently in customer service roles, and whether this is about replacement or refocus ➡️ Ali's advice for other leaders looking to embrace AI in the right way   Plus, we find out what Ali would be doing if she wasn't in payments, and the achievement she's proudest of that you won't find on LinkedIn ⚽   If you work in payments, this episode is a practical look at what it takes to deliver great service at scale, and how to capitalise on the AI shift already reshaping the profession.   🎥 Don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemakingpaymentspodcast 📲 And if you don't already, follow KAE on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kae/

  2. Sep 21

    Making customer-centricity pay: turning values into value w/ Deepti Akkali (Planet) | PMP S2 E3

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona sits down with Deepti Akkali (SVP, Commercial Development and Solutions at Planet) to unpack what customer-centricity really means in practice, and how you can effectively turn it from a buzzword into actually commercial results.   They start by exploring what customer-centricity means and what it looks like at Planet 👇   ➡️ How customer-centricity is defined and Planet and how the meaning shifts depending on the function ➡️ How the core principles play out differently across verticals like retail, hospitality, and travel ➡️ The main challenges still holding most businesses back from achieving true customer-centricity ➡️ Deepti's advice for leaders trying to build a customer-centric business   From there, the conversation turns to commercialising customer-centricity 💰   ➡️ What successful commercialisation actually looks like  ➡️ The steps and structures a business needs to put in place to make it happen ➡️ The real benefits of getting this right, and the challenges along the way ➡️ How this shows up at Planet specifically, and how it's measured ➡️ Deepti's advice for leaders trying to do the same   Plus, we find out what Deepti would be doing if she wasn't in payments, and the achievement she's proudest of that you won't find on LinkedIn 👠   If you work in payments, this episode is a practical look at how to turn customer-centricity from an aspiration into a genuine commercial advantage.   🎥 Don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemakingpaymentspodcast 📲 And if you don't already, follow KAE on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kae/

  3. Sep 14

    The hidden side of customer experience in payments w/ Laksh Ranganathan (Dojo) | PMP S2 E2

    In today's episode Shona chats with Laksh Ranganathan (VP Platform Products at Dojo) to look beyond the front-end experience and explore what it really takes to build customer experience that holds up behind the scenes, and how to build the resilient platforms that make it possible.   They start by shining a light on the hidden side of customer experience 👇   ➡️ Why customer experience conversations tend to focus only on the front end, and what gets missed as a result ➡️ Why the less visible parts of CX are often the hardest to fund, even though they matter just as much ➡️ How leaders can structure their teams to build a more holistic, reliable customer experience ➡️ What this looks like in practice at Dojo, and what other businesses can learn from that approach   From there, the conversation turns to building resilient platforms 🛠️   ➡️ What it actually means for a platform to be resilient, and the non-negotiables that underpin it ➡️ How AI is changing what resilience requires, and how Dojo is adapting to that shift ➡️ The biggest challenges in building and maintaining a resilient platform over time ➡️ Laksh's advice for others building resilient products and platforms of their own   Plus, we find out what Laksh would be doing if she wasn't in payments, and the achievement she's proudest of that you won't find on LinkedIn 📰   If you work in payments, this episode is a great reminder that the experience your customers never see is often the one that matters most.   🎥 Don't forget to like and subscribe on YouTube so you never miss an episode: https://www.youtube.com/@thepeoplemakingpaymentspodcast 📲 And if you don't already, follow KAE on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kae/

  4. Sep 7

    Killing the plastic corporate card: the future of commercial payments w/ Mark Ledsham (Conferma) | PMP S2 E1

    To kick off Series 2 of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona sits down with Mark Ledsham (CEO at Conferma) about his mission to kill the corporate card, why commercial payments still have plenty of work to do to catch up with consumer, and how virtual cards, and eventually agentic AI, can close that gap. They start by looking at the current state of commercial payments 👇 ➡️ Why commercial payments still lag behind consumer and why progress to date has been slow ➡️ Why virtual cards are the clearest sign of progress and the behaviours and expectations driving that innovation ➡️ What Conferma are doing to accelerate the shift and provide real solutions ➡️ The adoption challenges that still exist and how to overcome them ➡️ And Mark shares his advice for businesses trying to modernise their payments processes, and for organisations trying to build modern products and solutions From there, the conversation turns to what comes next 🔮 ➡️ Why agentic AI is being talked about as the next big shift after virtual cards and the developments already happening ➡️ How Conferma is already putting this into practice and building commercial payment infrastructure that's fit for the future ➡️ The benefits this could unlock for businesses willing to embrace it and the barriers still standing in the way ➡️ Plus Mark's advice for others trying to pick the next big shift from just more noise We also find out what Mark would be doing if he wasn't in payments, and the achievement he's proudest of that you won't find on LinkedIn 📰 If you work in payments, this episode offers a grounded look at how commercial payments are currently evolving, and what it will take to bring them up to speed in the future.

  5. Jul 6

    From stolen cards to synthetic identities: the evolution of fraud w/ Nikhita Hyett (Signifyd) | PMP S1 E6

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona sits down with Nikhita Hyett (General Manager EMEA at Signifyd) to explore how fraud has evolved, why fraud and abuse need to be treated as fundamentally different problems, and what fraud prevention needs to look like as the industry moves into an agentic future. They start by unpacking how fraud has evolved 👇 ➡️ How fraud has evolved from simple stolen card details to account takeover and synthetic identities built up over time to look genuine ➡️ Why first-party fraud, or "abuse," is a different problem entirely, and needs to be treated differently to organised fraud rings ➡️ Why returns abuse is a good example of this distinction in action, and why it's become far more prevalent thanks to fast fashion and frictionless e-commerce ➡️ Why fraud prevention has shifted from static, rules-based systems to machine learning models built on identity, intent, and real-time data ➡️ Why the real advantage in fraud prevention isn't just having data, but having the data science teams to turn it into accurate decisions in milliseconds From there, the conversation turns to where fraud prevention is heading next 🔮 ➡️ Why speed and scale will only keep increasing as fraudsters get faster and more sophisticated ➡️ How agentic commerce introduces a whole new layer of fraud screening, since verifying a bot's trustworthiness is very different to verifying a human's ➡️ Why regulation hasn't caught up with agentic commerce yet, and how frameworks like PSD3, SCA and 3D Secure will need to adapt ➡️ Why friendly fraud will only become a bigger cost consideration for merchants going forward ➡️ Why the real opportunity for payment providers is unlocking revenue through fraud prevention, not just blocking transactions Plus, we find out what Nikhita would be doing if she wasn't fighting fraud, and the achievement she's proudest of that you won't find on LinkedIn 📰 If you work in payments, this episode is essential listening on how fraud has evolved and where the next big risks (and opportunities) lie.

  6. Jun 29

    30 years in payments: how merchant needs and pricing have evolved w/ Arnaud Le Saouter (KAE) | PMP S1 E5

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona sits down with Arnaud Le Saouter (Client Director at KAE) - a payments industry veteran with over 30 years of experience - about how merchant needs have evolved, and what that means for how payment providers should be thinking about pricing their services today. With three decades of perspective to draw on, Arnaud and Shona start with how the merchant landscape has changed 👇 ➡️ How the merchant payments landscape has transformed from simple POS and payment gateways to a complex, omni-channel world with hundreds of competing providers ➡️ Why the core tension for merchants today is wanting simplicity and sophistication at the same time and why so few providers are managing to deliver both ➡️ How the most sophisticated merchants are now building portfolios of payment providers rather than relying on one and what that means for providers trying to grow their share of wallet ➡️ Why so many payment brands still look the same to merchants and why that's actually a massive opportunity ➡️ And why helping merchants grow their business is fast becoming the most important thing a payment provider can offer From there, the conversation moves into how to price those services💰 ➡️ Why payments is moving away from being a cost centre and why savvier merchants are increasingly willing to pay more if the value case is clear ➡️ How to approach pricing value-added services, including AI, in a market where merchants have historically expected them for free ➡️ The full range of pricing models in use across the industry, from simple blended rates to interchange-plus, and why the right model depends on merchant size, market maturity, and regulation ➡️ Why transparency in pricing is a delicate balance - too little loses trust, too much creates overwhelm ➡️ And why the providers who crack the link between pricing and a clear, demonstrable value proposition will be the ones that win Plus, we discover what Arnaud would love to be doing if he wasn't working in payments 📰 If you work in payments, this episode is a masterclass in how the industry has evolved and where the real commercial opportunities lie right now.

  7. Jun 22

    Why being ignored is scarier than being rejected in a new market w/ Keiti Kirt (LHV Bank) | PMP S1 E4

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona speaks with Keiti Kirt (Marketing Specialist at LHV Bank) about two topics at the heart of modern banking: how to engage and retain customers in a multi-banked world, and what it really takes to differentiate when you enter a brand new market. They start by unpacking multi-banking 👇 ➡️ Why "financial polyamory" is the new normal and what it means for banks trying to build loyalty ➡️ How customers are building their own financial toolkits and why primacy may no longer be the right goal ➡️ The danger of chasing everyone and why being crystal clear on who you're not for can be your greatest strength ➡️ And practical advice for marketers navigating the noise of a crowded, multi-banked market From there, the conversation moves into market expansion 🌍 ➡️ What it's really like to take an established brand from Estonia into the UK and why reputation doesn't travel ➡️ Why the biggest risk in a new market isn't rejection but being ignored ➡️ How LHV approached brand consistency versus localisation when entering a completely different competitive landscape ➡️ And why finding the right creative and media partners is critical to landing a brand in a new market Plus, Keiti takes on the quickfire round ⚡ If you work in banking, payments, or fintech marketing, this episode is full of sharp, honest thinking on how to cut through the noise, own a clear position, and build a brand that actually means something to the right people.

  8. Jun 15

    From blocker to enabler: compliance as a competitive advantage w/ Willem Wellinghoff (Ecommpay) | PMP S1 E3

    In this episode of The People Making Payments Podcast, Shona speaks with Willem Wellinghoff (UK Chair and Chief Compliance Officer at Ecommpay) about two topics very close to his heart: how compliance can drive true innovation, and why financial inclusion should be high on the agendas of payment companies across the world.  They start by rethinking the role of compliance 👇 ➡️ Why compliance shouldn’t be seen as a blocker, but as an enabler of growth ➡️ How regulation can act as a catalyst for innovation by forcing quick and creative action ➡️ The commercial benefits of engaging with compliance and regulation in a different way ➡️ And some practical advice for how to turn this approach into a competitive advantage From there, we move into financial inclusion 🌍 ➡️ What financial inclusion really means in practice and why it goes beyond just offering more payment methods ➡️ How designing for accessibility (including disabilities) opens up entirely new opportunities ➡️ The commercial upside of inclusion, from improving conversion to unlocking underserved markets ➡️ And why an “inclusive by design” mindset is becoming a key differentiator for payment providers Plus, Willem takes on the quickfire round ⚡ If you work in payments, fintech, or financial services, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how two often-overlooked areas can actually drive innovation, growth, and better customer and commercial outcomes.

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Welcome to The People Making Payments Podcast - a show designed to help people working in payments identify the most significant developments shaping the industry and understand how to best anticipate, and act, on them. In each episode Shona Sabah will be sitting down with a senior payments leader for an honest and open conversation about how they’re interpreting key shifts and trends, the impact they’re seeing in their roles, and the practical advice and they'd give to others in similar positions. Recorded in our Central London studio, every conversation will balance professional insight with candid personal perspective and aims to be inspiring, educational and insightful in equal measure. Enjoy!

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