Here at PXP Financial, we know our most valuable assets are our people and their expertise. Following our Q&A series kick-off with our HR co-leads, we sat down with our Head of Provider Management, Connor Cebryk.

On a day-to-day basis, Connor manages the relationships with our Alternative Payment Method (APM) partners, Payment Service Providers (PSPs), gaming platform partners, and other card schemes and acquiring partners. In addition, Connor is collaborating with our new CCO, Scott Lane, on exciting strategic developments for our providers.

But we want to go beyond the job description. So, we asked Connor a few questions.

Q: What brought you to PXP Financial?

Connor: “When I began my job search in Vienna in 2020, I was looking for a company that offered an opportunity to utilise my skills in client management, finance, and technology. As a well-established FinTech, PXP offered the perfect blend of these three fields, and I found my natural fit in the Provider Management department.”

Q: What are your favourite things about working at PXP Financial?

Connor: “I think my favourite thing about working at PXP is the international nature of the company. I love interacting with people from different backgrounds and cultures. With offices in many parts of the world and a very international Vienna office, you get to meet a lot of interesting people.”

Q: What do you think are the most exciting trends in payments?

Connor: “This is difficult because there are a lot of exciting developments happening in the payment industry right now. If I had to pick only two, the first would be AI. The utilisation of AI and machine learning to improve success rates and fraud screening is an exciting area of innovation. This technology is growing in its application and is effective in reducing the cost to PSPs and merchants.

I’d say the other most exciting trend is the growth of open banking and instant bank transfers. There is so much potential around this, for example, faster payments and allowing customers to retain ownership of their information. It’s great to be able to see the development of this technology and its use in my day-to-day work.

The payment industry is very fast paced and there are continuously new developments, so I look forward to seeing how these trends develop over the next few years.”

Q: What have been the biggest developments in commerce payments over the few years?

Connor: “The pandemic accelerated the growth of eCommerce, contactless payments, and the use of APMs and digital payment methods tremendously. I think mainstream adoption of new payment methods often requires a catalyst such as this to push them forward and the pandemic meant that people sought alternative ways to pay for goods online. Now these methods are also moving in-store, adding even more use cases.

I’d say one of the other huge developments in commerce payments has been the rise and use of wearables and other devices to pay with contactless. This is quite exciting for the consumer base. I expect to see continued improvements over the next few years, centered on simplifying the payment flow while securely verifying the user’s identity.”

Q: What work-related accomplishment are you most proud of? What would you like to accomplish in the next 5 years?

Connor: "To date, my proudest achievement at PXP is the highly successful launch of our Diners and Discover card acquiring. This took an extensive amount of organisation and coordination, both internally and externally, to execute. The team did an incredible job.

Over the next five years, my focus will be very much on helping PXP to develop the next-generation payment platform and cultivate strategic partnerships that will benefit our merchants. Additionally, we are committed to closely tailoring a well-rounded portfolio of payment methods that covers our major geographies and verticals.”

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Connor: “A former manager I had at one of my previous companies had an approach that has really stuck with me through the years. While not necessarily ‘advice’, it went something like this:

‘If you make a mistake, I am happy to explain it to you and correct it. If you make the same mistake a second time, I will ask you to reflect on it to find your mistake, and then work with you to correct it if needed. If you make the same mistake a third time, something needs to change.’

This approach gave me three main takeaways that I have continued to utilise and has helped me tremendously throughout my career. The first is that it’s okay to make mistakes as they contribute to your learning; secondly, take good notes when things are explained to you to not waste anyone’s time again in the future; and finally, attention to detail is critical.

By not having a fear of making mistakes, I have pushed myself to try new things and continually develop from any mistakes I made. That has allowed me to become a true multi-disciplinarian and work across several industries.”

Q: Outside of work, what are your hobbies or favourite things to do?

Connor: “I have a lot of hobbies outside of work. I really enjoy spending time with friends and being outdoors, enjoying nature. I also love to travel when possible. When I’m at home, my favourite activities are probably reading and playing video games. Being active is also really important to me; I always make time to work out or go cycling.”

If you’ve got a question for Connor, you can reach him at connor.cebryk@pxpfinancial.com