About

A Groundbreaker in Fintech

With more than 30 years in the payments space, Terry Monteith is a ground breaker in the Fintech sector. As a Fintech executive and consultant, she has helped overcome obstacles and motivated other women to reach top management positions in this field. In 2020, Monteith was named a finalist for the Women in Payments Distinguished Payments Professional award, and in 2022, Financial IT named her one of 30 women leaders shaping the Fintech sphere.

A passionate specialist with extensive experience in global payment technologies, cross-border payments, payment facilitation and building payment processing networks, she has contributed to optimizing global and mobile checkout, optimizing payment success rates and reducing costs for thousands of businesses around the world.

A Thought Leader and Trailblazer

Monteith has written thought-leadership articles, including for the ABA Banking Journal, Mass Technology Leadership Council (MTLC) and Finextra. These include articles on making Fintech more inclusive and how to attract and elevate women in the sector. She discusses that, to make a difference in the field she is so passionate about, the industry as a whole needs to consider the obstacles women face in entering Fintech, as well as solutions that can be put into place to be more welcoming to women. In addition, she provides tips on how women can succeed in Fintech based on her own experience and career, and stresses the importance of introducing Fintech as part of college curriculums.

Monteith’s Career Journey

Her career began as Vice President of Online Payments at First National Bank of Maryland (now M&T Bank), where she worked for four years.

She later joined Newton, Massachusetts-based P&H Solutions as Senior Vice President of Product and Sales Support, where she worked for 11 years. As head of Product, she and her team built the first internet payment platform for businesses. A VC-backed company, P&H became the leader in their space, with 80% of the U.S. banking market as customers.

P&H was successfully acquired by ACI Worldwide in 2006, and P&H’s VC achieved 10x on their investment. Following the acquisition, Monteith accepted a position as Senior Vice President, Solutions Consulting & Sales Support with ACI. ACI Worldwide is a software company providing real-time payment solutions to corporations to process digital payments and enable omni-commerce. Monteith was with ACI Worldwide for seven years, working around the world with this global payments and services company with offices in 23 countries and customers in 95 countries.

After ACI, Monteith joined BlueSnap, one of the first payment facilitators to provide a simple way to accept payments from anywhere. With a single integration to BlueSnap’s Payment Orchestration Platform™, B2B and B2C merchants accept payments with access to 100’s of global payment types and currencies in over 200 countries. During her 11 years with BlueSnap, she worked on their Payment Orchestration platform, building a network of 30+ global banks for local payment processing. The platform and its strong global banking network helped businesses around the world optimize payment success, reduce costs, drive growth and capitalize on new sales possibilities.

Monteith currently serves as an independent Strategic Payments Advisor, working with investors in Fintech and with companies, such as KemKids, to optimize their payments. KemKids is the largest dance organization in Palm Beach County, Florida. More than 700 students are enrolled in KemKids dance classes at its 38-plus school and community center locations.

Her Education

Terry Monteith received her Bachelor of Business Administration with a Minor in Spanish from Florida International University in Miami. She received her MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Maryland in College Park.

Making a Difference

Monteith has been involved with several nonprofits, including A Wider Circle in Maryland, an organization serving thousands of individuals and families living in poverty. A Wider Circle provides families with furniture, beds, and essentials; works with job seekers to attain stable, substantive employment; and directly brings much-needed services and programs to under-resourced neighborhoods. She became interested in the organization when her children began attending a school which supported a Wider Circle with student volunteers.

She also promotes the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in her home state of Florida. For more than 40 years, the organization has rescued and rehabilitated wildlife and educated the community about environmental conservation. Over the years, it has rescued deer, foxes, screech owls, hawks, bald eagles, squirrels, birds, and many others. The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary’s Environmental Education Program is curriculum-based and aimed at children and families. This program allows both children and adults to learn about native plant and animal species while also participating in conservation efforts to safeguard and maintain Florida’s wildlife, natural resources, and endangered species.

Monteith and her extended family are also very involved with Ali Cat Rescue in Wellington, Florida. The rescue organization is dedicated to the welfare of all cats and kittens. It works with professionals, groups, and other organizations that share its vision of a world where all cats and kittens have a loving and safe home where they can thrive for their entire lives. Ali Cat Rescue provides rescue services, foster care, and medical attention while adoptable cats and kittens await their “furever” home. Terry Monteith’s daughter has adopted her beloved cat from Ali Cat.

Her Love of Travel

When Monteith is not working, she loves to travel and explore new places, their cultures, traditions, food, and landscapes. She also gets tremendous joy in introducing her children to her discoveries and making memories together.

Keeping healthy and fit is also important to Monteith. She regularly walks and exercises. Additionally, she has taken up cooking over the years, bringing some of her culinary discoveries from other places into her kitchen.

Terry was born and raised in Miami, Florida and currently resides in North Bethesda, Maryland, outside of Washington D.C.