March 24, 2015            

ETA Announces Nominees for 2015 Star Awards and the 2015 Distinguished Payments Professional

Washington, D.C. – The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), the global trade association representing the payments technology world, announced today the finalists for the prestigious annual Star Awards. The ETA Star Awards recognize contributions of individuals and companies to the payments industry, whether through innovation, business practices, or contributions to the association.  In addition, ETA has announced that 2015’s Distinguished Payments Professional is Angela Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Moneris Solutions Corporation.  Award winners in all other categories will be announced live on March 31 at TRANSACT 15: Powered by ETA. TRANSACT 15 will take place in the technology hub of the nation, March 31 – April 2 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and registration is open at www.transact15.com.

The ETA Awards and Recognition Committee, a panel of industry executives, narrowed down dozens of nominations to a group of finalists, ultimately voting on a winner in each category. Finalists were named in the following categories: Business Partner of the Year, Committee of the Year, Committee Volunteer of the Year, ISO of the Year, Integrated Payments Solution, and Tech Innovation. The recipients will be announced at the ETA President’s Dinner, the premiere gala event for the payments industry, on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 7:30 pm.

The evening’s keynote speaker will be Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49), sharing his insights on the outlook for the 114th Congress, his efforts against Operation Chokepoint, and the importance of association member involvement in the political process.

“The ETA Star awards, this year celebrating 25 years recognizing excellence and commitment in payments, are the highest honor in our industry, and the caliber of each and every nominee for the 2015 ETA Star Awards is astounding,” said Jason Oxman, ETA CEO. “I’m thrilled that Angela Brown is this year’s ETA Distinguished Payments Professional and I am grateful to all the individuals nominated who work tirelessly to innovate and advance payments technology. The presentation of the ETA STAR Awards, along with our exciting dinner show and Congressman Issa’s valuable remarks will make this an evening remembered in payments history.”

“I am humbled to be recognized as this year’s ETA Distinguished Payments Professional, joining so many other esteemed colleagues honored during the ETA STAR Awards,” said Angela Brown, CEO of Moneris Solutions Company. “I’m excited that our industry is innovating new and exciting opportunities and proud that Moneris Solutions is at the leading edge of payments’ technological revolution.”

2015 ETA Star Award Nominees

Business Partner of the Year

  • First Data
  • PayPal
  • Discover

Committee of the Year

  • Government Relations
  • Risk and Fraud

Committee Volunteer of the Year

  • Heather Petersen, CEO, National Merchants Association
  • Jennifer Reichenbacher, Senior Director, Corporate Marketing
  • Sunny Dronawat, Managing Member, POS ON CLOUD

ISO of the Year

  • Payscape Advisors
  • EMS
  • TransNational Bankard

Tech Innovation Award

  • Womply
  • POS Portal: CartConnect Program
  • Swipely

Integrated Payments Solution

  • Global Payments EdgeShield
  • USAePay
  • Cayan™ Genius® Customer Engagement Platform
  • Vantiv, Inc. – Express Pay triPOS®

TRANSACT’s global reach brings together, under one roof, the entire payments ecosystem – thousands of leaders and partners that you need to access to grow your business. This year’s program features unmatched educational opportunities including the EMV Bootcamp, Retail Solutions 2.0, Tech Launch, 6 conference tracks, speakers from the world’s top payments and technology companies and unlimited opportunities for industry connectivity. TRANSACT also offers the E–Pay Innovation Award, generously sponsored by Intuit,  a $25,000-award for the Payments Pitch-Off competitor displaying the most innovative service or product. TRANSACT 15 is where titans and start-ups alike go to connect, partner, grow and advance payments.  For more information, visit www.transact15.com.

For media inquiries, contact Meghan Cieslak at 202-677-7406, or [email protected].

About ETA

The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) is the global trade association representing more than 500 payments and technology companies. ETA members make commerce possible by processing more than $4.5 trillion in purchases in the U.S. and deploying payments innovations to merchants and consumes.