James Wester Email & Phone Number

Texas, United States

Livonia, Michigan, Us

Work with a group of talented researchers, analysts, and writers covering multiple payment businesses and technologies. Research programs run the full spectrum of global retail payments including merchant acquiring and processing, payments infrastructure, and the future of payments technology like crypto and digital assets. Assist team of analysts to set research agenda and goals, deliver on client projects, and build their research businesses.

Livonia, Michigan, Us

Strategic management of Javelin's Payment Technology & Infrastructure research practice. Research topics include payment processing platforms, financial technology, cloud services providers, and every part of the payment technology ecosystem.

Livonia, Michigan, Us

Lead Javelin's newest research practice focused on digital assets and cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, central bank digital currencies, and more. Set research calendars and agenda as well as deliver regular reports tracking the development of the crypto market and offering recommendations and insights for exchanges, financial institutions, issuers, and other companies in the space. Also manage delivery of special client projects and consulting engagements. Work includes frequent speaking and media engagements explaining the issues impacting the market and affecting the development of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, CBDCs, and digital assets.

San Jose, Ca, Us

Responsible for the communications strategy of PayPal's crypto business unit. Along with planning strategic direction of the unit's outreach to media, analysts, partners, and internal stakeholders, also managed many of the tactical implementations such as executive preparation for media appearances and engagements, building messaging strategies for product releases, and creating content for distribution. Coordinated with the incredible team of communications professionals across PayPal's global organization to ensure communications about cryptocurrencies and blockchain were aligned and consistent.

Needham, Massachusetts, Us

Lead analyst for IDC's worldwide blockchain, cryptocurrency, and digital asset research. The cross-industry practice covers the emerging industries and products built on distributed ledger, blockchain, digital currencies, and tokens. Core research examines the technologies, architectures, and concepts behind blockchain, distributed ledgers, and decentralized technologies, as well as how those technologies will affect financial services, manufacturing, energy, government, healthcare, and more. Reports include models to understand how blockchain works, industry use cases, adoption of cryptocurrencies and digital assets, vendor strategies, and the evolution of regulations regarding the technology.

Needham, Massachusetts, Us

Head of research for the worldwide payment practice at IDC. The practice covers the technology behind the global payment industry with a focus on financial services. Special interest in developing markets, developing methods, and developing technologies. Research topics include mobile payments, fintech, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, financial inclusion, real-time payments, and next generation payment platforms. Frequent speaker, presenter and moderator at industry conferences as well as providing analysis for multiple media outlets including the New York Times, NPR, Wall Street Journal, the Economist and CNBC.

Louisville, Ky, Us

Launched Mobile Payments Today, the first news source to cover the developing mobile financial services market that includes digital wallets, mobile payments, NFC, mobile commerce, mobile money, and mobile banking.Created and edited site content, features, opinion pieces and videos for publication. Interviewed technology leaders and analysts on trends and events. Recruited and developed bloggers from the U.S. and abroad to provide complete coverage of the market. Spoke at industry conferences around the world and served as an industry expert for other mainstream media.Also responsible for increasing site traffic through marketing, PR and social media outreach. Tactics include SEO, SEM, email and events. In nearly three years as editor for Mobile Payments Today, the site saw consistent month-over-month gains in readership and engagement.Contributing editor to other publications within the NMG family of publications such as Retail Customer Experience, ATM Marketplace, and Fast Casual on mobile, financial services, and retail technology. NetWorld Media Group publications reach more than 3 million readers and net 10 million pageviews worldwide annually.

Primary consultant and founder of Echo Marketing Consulting, an LLC established to manage freelance and pro-bono clients needing marketing communications, payment research and analysis, and strategy assistance. Clients included non-profits, advocacy organizations, performing arts, and technology start-ups. Founded in 2002, Echo Marketing began by supporting non-profit and advocacy organizations in understanding their transaction, purchase, and subscription data and developing marketing strategies using that information. Services quickly expanded to help payment and financial technology companies in the U.S. and abroad, especially through start-up and restructuring.Clients included ecommerce vendors, internet service providers (ISP), mobile application developers, mobile payment providers, enterprise resource and planning (ERP) companies, and marketing automation tool vendors.Along with marketing and data strategies, provided market research, strategy analysis, public/analyst relations, and writing marketing collateral and research documents.

St. Louis, Mo, Us

Recruited by agency specializing in data analytics and modeling combined with direct, digital and social media marketing. Researched and pursued partnerships with providers of automated marketing solutions, digital media services and marketing analytics. Projects included product management of in-house software and digital/direct marketing efforts for a variety of food service and retail clients.

New York, Ny, Us

Relocated by leading merchant acquirer to deliver corporate messaging, marketing communications, and public relations strategies. Projects included building media relations and industry analyst outreach, standardizing corporate messaging with the analyst community, creating crisis communications programs, and integrating Chase Paymentech into the JPMorgan Chase brand.

New York, Ny, Us

Served as AOL’s “payment expert” and internal communications lead in charge of $60M+ payment budget and 120M annual transactions representing $2.6B in revenues. Represented AOL at industry conferences and served as subject matter expert on payments offering senior management analysis and advice on credit card data security, payment trends, and best practices. Managed broad spectrum of internal and external relationships with payment processors, financial institutions, credit card brands, and billing vendors in U.S. and abroad. Acted as an internal research analyst developing business cases and financial analysis for retention marketing programs, project proposals and vendor agreements involving payments, billing, security, and analytics.Product manager for software and technology initiative focused on managing vendors providing payment, financial services, ecommerce, and analysis technologies. Developed and managed full life cycle of multi-channel marketing campaigns and retention marketing programs with a focus on billing and payment data.

Warrenton, Va, Us

Joined B2B ISP, web hosting and data storage company catering to financial institutions at the beginning of internet banking and online financial services. Led marketing and communications activities through company’s restructuring phase. Reinforced broad range of product marketing initiatives using emerging techniques such as email marketing and digital advertising along with direct marketing, tradeshows, investor conference calls, seminars, and analyst tours.

Us

Account manager for data processing service bureau managing more than 50 marketing clients across the U.S. Clients were primarily non-profit, performing arts and advocacy organizations. Managed and maintained client purchase, payment, and transaction databases for direct marketing campaigns supporting sales and retention efforts. Also managed relationships with third-party vendors and data providers.

Master Of Science, Management Of Information Technology

Bachelor Of Arts, English/Communications