We are delighted to welcome Francesco Burelli to the Independent Judging Panel for The Card & Payments Awards US 2026. Francesco also sits on our Middle East judging panel and is more than familiar with the rigour that we expect from our judges but also our core values. Francesco's experience includes decades long payments, banking and financial innovation experience from Midland Bank / HSBC to consulting with Deloitte, Edgar, Dunn & Co, Value Partners and having served as the Global Payment Strategy Lead at Accenture, among others.

He is also a Learning Coach at INSEAD Executive Education, one of the world’s top business schools. Francesco has advised organisations and governments across global markets on payments strategy, transformation and growth. 

Mary Chen is a payments and fintech leader with more than 10 years of experience driving strategy, product innovation, and operational excellence across global consumer and technology companies. She has held leadership roles at Walmart, HBO Max, HelloFresh, Spotify, and IPSY, where she led initiatives spanning payments, fraud prevention, financial operations, partnerships, and customer experience.

Throughout her career, Mary has focused on building scalable payment ecosystems, optimizing revenue performance, and delivering seamless customer experiences. She is also an active advisor, mentor, and industry contributor, serving on advisory boards and supporting the development of future leaders in payments and financial technology. Mary is passionate about advancing innovation, fostering diversity in the industry, and helping organizations navigate the evolving payments landscape.

Christopher Danvers is a payments executive driving product evolution and digital transformation for community financial institutions. His experience covers more than 20 years in payments and digital strategy, operations, and product development, spanning community institutions, embedded finance, and Visa. Christopher has featured at numerous payments and technology events as an opening keynote, plenary speaker, and panelist. His editorial content on payments and digital transformation has also been printed in various publications, including Banking CIO Outlook, CIO Review, and CUInsight.com. In addition to his career experience, Christopher has served on the Federal Reserve's Secure Payments Task Force as a Steering Committee member representing medium-sized financial institutions, Filene Research Institute i3 and 30-under-30 programs, and other innovative industry-related product advisory efforts.

Caryn Kaiser has over 25 years of experience in financial services and consumer products at several leading and well-known corporations. Caryn joined Visa in 2018 and is responsible for leading the JPMorgan Chase account team, overall. Caryn and the teams she leads are focused on defining and driving strategic value for both Chase and Visa, growing the joint businesses, maintaining, and strengthening executive relationships, and managing all day-to-day operational matters between the organizations.

Prior to Visa, Caryn was a leader at JPMorgan Chase for nearly 15 years, Caryn held a variety of key roles across the Consumer Credit business including roles in consumer lending, small business, and co-brand/affinity relationships. Following that time at Chase, Caryn spent 6 years at Citibank in the Global Consumer Card business where she was most recently Chief Lending Officer, Global Head Consumer Lending Solutions. Her role at Citibank also included Managing Director, Enterprise Payment Solutions where she led a team responsible for Citi’s Network relationships globally. Caryn also has experience in strategic partnerships and business development with GE Capital and in consumer branding with Procter & Gamble.

Kelley C. Knutson is one of the payments industry’s most respected global leaders, bringing almost four decades of experience across issuing, payments technology, fintech, consumer finance, and financial services. He currently serves as Chief Growth Officer for Total Issuing Solutions (TIS), part of FIS, where he leads the company’s growth organization encompassing sales, account management, business development, partnerships, and commercialization initiatives. Throughout his distinguished career, Kelley has held senior executive leadership positions with FIS, Global Payments, TSYS, Netspend, GE Capital, Visa International, and Clear Money Ltd. He has led businesses across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, earning a reputation for driving growth, innovation, strategic transformation, and strong client relationships across the global payments ecosystem.

Kelley has also served on numerous boards and advisory organizations, including M&S Money, the Prepaid International Forum (PIF), Clear Money Ltd., Dione plc, China UnionPay Data, and other payments and financial services ventures. His extensive international experience is complemented by nearly 30 years living and working in the United Kingdom, giving him a unique global perspective on payments innovation, regulation, and industry evolution. A long-standing supporter of excellence within the payments industry, Kelley has been involved with The Card & Payments Awards since its earliest years in the United Kingdom. As a judge, industry advocate, and executive sponsor representing TSYS, he helped support and celebrate the organizations, innovations, and leaders that have shaped the modern payments landscape. TSYS served as a Prime Sponsor of the awards during the formative years of the program, reflecting Kelley’s commitment to recognizing industry achievement and advancing innovation across the sector.

As Chairman of The Card & Payments Awards USA, Kelley brings deep industry expertise, global perspective, and a long-standing passion for recognizing excellence across the payments ecosystem. His leadership will help ensure the awards maintain the independence, credibility, and high standards that have made The Card & Payments Awards one of the industry’s most respected recognition programs, while supporting its expansion and growth in the United States market. In addition to his current executive responsibilities, Kelley is founder of Future of Payments LLC, an advisory and thought leadership platform focused on the future of financial services, payments innovation, leadership, and industry transformation. He is also an active mentor, investor, board advisor, and community advocate dedicated to developing the next generation of industry leaders.

O.B. is an accomplished senior level executive with monumental success in fintech, payments and banking. He is currently serving as an advisor, investor and board member to several private equity firms, fintech ventures and hedge funds. Additionally, he is a partner in Wellesley Hills Financial, a fintech and software focused investment bank.

As CEO, Global Payment Processing for Paysafe, O.B. was responsible for building a world-class team of sales and support leaders to gain market share, deliver incremental value and exceed annual revenue objectives. Leading a wide-spread global team, O.B. was responsible for a cross-section of sales and specialized teams including integrated payments, iGaming, indirect and direct sales, and product commercialization.

Prior to his Paysafe role, O.B. served as CEO and President of iPayment, a firm he successfully helped de-leverage and position for subsequent sale to Paysafe in June 2018. His career of more than 30 years also includes senior level executive roles with First Data, now Fiserv, Hypercom, and Bank of America. O.B. holds an MBA from Queens University of Charlotte and a BS in Social Work from East Carolina University.

Paulette Rowe is a highly regarded global leader in the fintech and financial services sectors, bringing over 20 years of high-impact leadership at institutions including Meta, GE Capital, NatWest/RBS, and Barclays.

Renowned for her visionary approach to digital transformation, Paulette pioneered landmark initiatives such as the contactless payment infrastructure for Transport for London. Most recently, as CEO of the U.S. fintech unicorn Stax, she led the company’s evolution into a full-stack processor delivering significant uplift in margin and EBITDA.

Paulette has been recognized in The Financial Technology Report’s Top 25 Payments Executives of 2025 and is a three-time honoree of American Banker’s Most Influential Women in Payments. In 2025 she received a Silver Stevie Award for Best Female CEO of the Year. Beyond her executive roles, Paulette is a seasoned board professional, currently serving as Non-Executive Director and Remco Chair of Thredd. She previously served as Non-Executive Director and subcommittee Chair of FTSE-100 United Utilities Group PLC and Chair of the Mayor’s Fund for London. Paulette holds an MEng from Birmingham University and an MBA from INSEAD.

TBC

Sheree Thornsberry is the Founder of RMP Solutions LLC, a boutique consulting with deep expertise in financial services and a strong focus on the Payment industry. Sheree has experience working with multiple providers in the value chain including program managers, banks, processors, networks and third-party contractors.

Prior to consulting, Sheree was the Executive Vice President and Head of Payments at Pathward where she also managed the Tax and Lending lines of business for an interim period. She has also held executive roles with Blackhawk Network, Intelispend Prepaid Solutions and American Express Incentive Services.

Sheree resides in Northern California with her husband, Brian, where they started Innumero Wines, a boutique brand focused on producing Burgundian-style, critically acclaimed Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs from some of the most renowned vineyards in Sonoma County.

Jennifer is a sought-after communications partner for payments and fintech brands that are transforming financial services. She leads The Fletcher Group, an award-winning agency that helps brands tell memorable stories with quantifiable business impact. Her direct approach and razor-sharp business acumen make her a favorite with executives and a trusted advisor to client organizations. Jennifer entered the payments and fintech world before the term “fintech” existed, building expertise alongside some of the sector’s most formative companies during its earliest and most consequential years. Two decades of that hands-on experience inform everything The Fletcher Group does and have helped grow the agency into one of the leading PR and content marketing firms for fintech in North America.

She was named 2022 PR News Woman of the Year in the Entrepreneur Category and is the co-founder, Executive Director and Board Member of the CPPO, a leading payments trade association in Canada. She also serves on the Texas-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the Kotapay Advisory Board, and has worked with businesses, foundations and government agencies across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia, bringing an international perspective to her work. Jennifer is a sought-after speaker on fintech communications strategy, entrepreneurship and women’s leadership.

The Fletcher Group is a woman-owned business with an all-female executive team and a demonstrated commitment to advancing women’s careers in payments and fintech. Jennifer sits on the Paytech Women Presidents Advisory Committee and is a past Money 20/20 Rise Up Mentor. The Fletcher Group also publishes the annual Women CMOs in Fintech Report, now in its fifth edition, which elevates the voices of female marketing leaders shaping the industry.