Fintech upstarts and major payments players have been hiring and promoting executives with a focus on establishing strategic partnerships.
Earlier this year, Mike Milotich, then Marqeta’s chief financial officer, stepped up to become the company’s interim CEO after Simon Khalaf, its former chief executive, exited the role and its board.
This month, the company named Milotich its new CEO and began its search for its next CFO, Marqeta said in a Sept. 8 press release.
“After completing a thorough search, the Board determined that Mike is the right CEO for Marqeta,” Judson Linville, chair of Marqeta’s board, said in a statement. “A highly respected executive with strong customer connections and deep knowledge of both our business and industry, he has proven to be a talented team builder and thoughtful and steady hand while serving as interim CEO.”
As Marqeta searches for its next financial chief, other fintech startups have tapped experienced CFOs from other major firms to help drive revenue growth.
Extend, the New York-based spend management company, hired former PayPal exec Francois Horikawa to become its first CFO, a move aimed at helping the company turn a profit.
Similarly, Sunbit, a Los Angeles-based point-of-sale lending tech provider, named Shai Terem as its chief financial officer, the company announced Sept. 16.
“Shai is a seasoned operator with deep experience leading public companies through critical growth inflection points,” Arad Levertov, Sunbit’s CEO and co-founder, said in the press release. “His expertise in scaling organizations, managing capital markets and building global teams will be invaluable as we continue to expand Sunbit’s reach and impact.”
Alongside its payments peers hiring CFOs, Pipe made a C-suite hire this month as part of its global expansion ambitions. The San Francisco-based embedded capital provider named Vijay Vachani as its chief revenue officer, according to a Sept. 24 press release. In his new role, Vachani will oversee the company’s global partnerships and merchant sales employees, the release said.
Prior to joining Pipe, Vachani spent four years at Square, most recently serving as the general manager of Square International and global head of partnerships.
“Vijay is a respected and visionary go-to-market leader who has deep experience building and scaling global businesses,” Pipe CEO Luke Voiles said in the release. “He has a rare ability to see the full picture by connecting product insight and customer experience with market strategy and partner success.”
Similarly, Navan named Kim Hamer to serve as its chief travel advisory officer, according to a Sept. 17 press release. The Palo Alto, California-based business travel expense platform said it sought Hamer for her experience revamping large-scale international travel programs, the company said.
Meanwhile, card network Mastercard has appointed Ailish Campbell as executive vice president of the public sector, where she will oversee the company’s global public sector operations, foster partnerships and ensure local relevance across various markets, the company announced Sept. 2. Campbell previously served as Canada’s ambassador to the European Union from 2020 to 2025, per the press release.
Campbell’s appointment is part of Mastercard’s efforts to build out its public sector services, the company said. The card giant noted that working with government agencies will pave the way for future worldwide growth.
