Page 43 - Pay Magazine s2014

volume 8 • fall 2015
As the head of payments
for the third-largest global payments network, Diane Offereins doesn’t scare easily. She’s not afraid of the “threat” of startups or “disruptors.” In many cases— PayPal, Facebook—she’s partnered with them. The same is true for domestic networks outside the U.S., where Offereins’ team has secured more than 10 network alliances by which networks, such as JCB, RuPay and Elo, become global through integration with Discover Global Network, Diners Club International and the PULSE Debit Network.
“We hope that new players con- tinue to come into the market
since new ideas keep the industry relevant and on its toes, pushing new ways to do things,” she says. One thing the company has learned from these types of partnerships
is the test-as-you-go mentality
of Silicon Valley. “These types of organizations have extremely fast cycle times,” Offereins notes. “Keeping up with this time frame has taught us how to become more flexible and nimble.”
Strong industry relationships enable Discover to pivot quickly
to address changing technologies, while integrating its networks with these new technologies, she adds. Offereins is no stranger to tech- nology. Before taking over the payments business, she served as chief information officer at Discover. But despite all the new technology
two-plus decades is still relevant as ever, she believes. “This is what first drew me to payments and is even more applicable now than ever before, as we continue to evolve and grow the industry.”
More than a Role Model
As a powerful woman in payments, Offereins believes she has a role in helping other women entering the industry. She encourages women to connect with female colleagues with more industry experience. For the past few years she has been the executive sponsor of Discover’s Professional Women’s Employee Connection Group—one of several groups in the company’s diversity program, which she helped estab- lish in 2012. “The groups foster a refreshing and engaged corporate
Best Advice
“As a manager, focus on a person’s strengths during performance appraisals, not on the person’s weaknesses. One of the main reasons I’ve been successful in my career is that I’ve surrounded myself with people who have complementary strengths and helped them further develop those strengths.
I consider that to be one of the greatest accom- plishments of my career, and it all goes back to the advice I received from a mentor early in my career.”
where individual differences are celebrated and leveraged to the benefit of the company as a whole.”
An important aspect of the groups is learning to network. “Who you know and how you are connected matters,” she says. “It’s important to make connections both inside and outside your work environment.”
When she’s not mentoring the next-generation of payments leaders or logging frequent flier miles, Offereins spends time with friends and family. She and her son are on the board and junior board, respectively, of the Children’s Home and Aid, a Chicago nonprofit that helps children and families over- come poverty, abuse and neglect. It’s time she can share with her son
Diane offereins
EVP; President, Payment Services, Discover Financial Services
and innovation coming into the market, the baseline infrastructure that’s been built during the past
culture,” Offereins notes. “I’ve worked with the highest levels of management to create a mindset
that also fulfills her philosophy of life: “Do something good for someone else every day.’’
paybefore.com 41