Safwan Zaheer
Senior Advisor, Payments at Simon
Safwan Zaheer
Senior Advisor, Payments at Simon
Greater Philadelphia
Overview
Work Experience
COO & CPO
2024 - Current
autoMHatic Financial, formerly Tammac, is a PE backed specialty lender originating over +$2B in Manufactured Housing (MH) loans across 45 years. I'm charged by our PE firm and CEO to accelerate growth, while spearheading digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) efforts across Operations, Product and Technology. Together, we're propelling towards explosive growth and positioning for a lucrative Exit/M&A.
Senior Advisor, Payments
2023
Strategic Advisor collaborating with top-tier leadership and Partners on Payments GTM and sell high-impact consulting services to global clientele. Pioneering thought leadership on cutting-edge Payments trends—from FinTech, Wallets, and BaaS to BNPL, Generative AI, and Embedded Payments. Delivering pivotal insights during client engagements, tackling pressing client challenges on building competitive product strategy, innovative payments product development, pricing optimization, Partnerships, M&A, and market share expansion playbooks in the fiercely competitive Payments landscape.
Managing Director: Payments, Lending, & FinTech
2019 - 2023
Dynamic Advisory Firm empowering Banks, Payments, and FinTech juggernauts with business and product consulting expertise: • Unleashed T-Mobile MONEY, T-Mobile's groundbreaking Neobank, in a game-changing partnership with BM Technologies (formerly BankMobile) during 2019-2020. • Pioneered an explosive growth strategy for a disruptive POS lending and BaaS FinTech firm, pinpointing three high-impact market verticals. Orchestrated an unparalleled pricing, positioning, and GTM masterplan, propelling a B2B2C and BaaS offering to a launch that surpassed all expectations.
EVP & GM, POS Lending
2021 - 2022
Handpicked to spearhead exponential growth of point-of-sale (POS) Installment Lending, BNPL, and Payments business within the Dental and Home Improvement sectors, propelling funded volume from $10M/month to an astounding $30M/month during tenure, while achieving record-breaking net margins. Orchestrated the construction, management, and mentorship of a high-performing cross-functional team of 85 individuals. Elevated share-of-wallet from a mere 1.5% to an impressive 8%.
Head of Products: POS Lending & Payments
2019 - 2021
Unleashed T-Mobile MONEY, T-Mobile's revolutionary Neobank. Spearheaded E2E product development, propelling it from visionary concept to an awe-inspiring rollout that reached a staggering million consumers across the United States.
Head of FinTech, Digital Financial Services
2016 - 2019
• Provided strategic, creative vision for KPMG’s US FinTech service line, performed effectively as an active member of Global FinTech leadership team, and bridged gap between client opportunities and management’s expectations. Handpicked by COO of Accenture Digital to join him at KPMG to build the FinTech practice.
Director, Digital Payments, Financial Services
2015 - 2016
Orchestrated explosive practice growth by spearheading end-to-end delivery of cutting-edge digital payments, transformation, strategy, and product development services for esteemed financial services and retail clients. Fueled brand reputation enhancement and fostered a remarkable surge in repeat business through exceptional execution and unwavering client satisfaction.
Director, Digital Payments Product & Strategy
2012 - 2015
Charted an audacious path of relentless development and innovation, propelling a groundbreaking Mobile Payments Wallet launch for both consumers and SMBs. a staggering $500K transaction volume, captivating over 11K users, and securing partnerships with 25+ esteemed merchants. Championed decisive moves into the P2P payments space, solidifying a position of industry leadership.
Management Strategy Consultant
2010 - 2011
Key member of Mobile & Internet practice instrumental in delivering strategy and consumer experience-related client engagements. Accelerated business value and brand reputation in brief period of time contributing to successful and strong valuation at sale in 2011. Key clients included industry titans Facebook and T-Mobile, validating expertise in delivering unparalleled results for esteemed partners.
Senior Manager, Mobile Products and Solutions
2007 - 2010
• Global Product Launch: Orchestrated the successful rollout of two pivotal company products across EMEA and Asia, yielding an multi-$M in revenue and enticing the patronage of 9 prestigious global clients. Steered cross-functional teams worldwide, deftly crafting roadmaps and flawlessly executing product strategies. From visionary product design and capabilities definition to seamless technology integration and implementation requisites, every aspect was meticulously handled for resounding market impact.
Manager, Mobile Products and Solutions
2003 - 2007
• Mobile Product Management: Spearheaded global cross-functional teams, fueling the creation of visionary product roadmaps. Crafted an innovative roadmap encompassing product capabilities, seamless technology integration, and meticulous implementation requirements, all meticulously aligned to address evolving consumer demands.
Mobile Standards Engineer (Bell Labs)
2001 - 2003
* Architect of Cutting-Edge CDMA Performance Assessment Software: Engineered and delivered groundbreaking software empowering the evaluation of CDMA-based 3G/4G mobile solutions. Authored technical papers and presented at global standard bodies captivating audiences of customers, competitors, and partners securing consensus on various emerging technology and product standards. * Awarded PATENT on CDMA systems
Education
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