One thing that excites Kim Bynan most about her job is seeing firsthand how new payments technology changes our everyday lives.
Hurrying to the supermarket to keep up with a busy job and a family of four, Bynan reached the checkout point and realized she’d forgotten her wallet. She quickly discovered the woman standing in line behind her was an Apple Pay aficionado. Her new friend paid Bynan’s grocery bill, and on the spot Bynan sent funds to cover the cost with her phone.
The deal was done in seconds.
“It truly was one of those moments when I was proud to work in the payments industry, seeing how new innovations are positively affecting people’s lives on a daily basis,” said Bynan, senior vice president and head of EBT and Valutec at FIS and one of PaymentsSource's Most Influential Women in Payments for 2019.
As a key contributor to several of FIS’ most recent product rollouts, Bynan was on the front lines when the company introduced a new credit card rewards program with BP gas stations, and also has been involved in developing FIS’ voice-recognition technology for enterprises.
Creating successful products takes some grit and willingness to ask hard questions, according to Bynan. “Meet with experts, listen and have the courage to put yourself in uncomfortable situations,” she said.
Over more than a dozen years, Bynan’s analytical and strategic skills have propelled her up the ranks at FIS, from financial analyst to her promotion last year to head two business units concentrating on bank EBT and gift card products.
The breadth of Bynan’s responsibilities requires a solid team of self-starters who get the job done and have fun along the way.
“I try to give my team the latitude to make decisions and then make sure I celebrate our wins and use our failures as a teaching moment,” Bynan said. “It’s also important to laugh when things get stressful, be approachable to everyone around you and show gratitude for everyone who has helped."
Being eager to listen to others’ ideas also has been instrumental to Bynan’s success at FIS.
“Because everyone has a different way of getting to the same goal, it doesn’t mean one might be better than the other,” she said.
Seeing the expansion of women in more senior roles at FIS over the years has been a gratifying experience.
“There are multiple benefits of increasing the number of women executives in fintech. Adding different perspectives forces conversations that will drive ideas to transform the industry into something bigger than what we have today,” Bynan said.
One of Bynan's role models is longtime FIS executive Gina Gitter, a senior vice president with broad responsibility for implementing multiple platforms across the U.S.
“Gina’s ability to get the job done, all while maintaining composure and being approachable and showing gratitude is simply remarkable," she said. "Also, her business smarts and ability to learn transformational change sets her apart from the rest.”
