Melissa and Betty share a lot of similarities in their quest for success. Both have had
challenges in their childhood that have significantly contributed to how they
see and handle circumstances that come their way. They have gathered skills,
networked, and faced any endeavor with great resilience.
They are firm believers that opportunities come and go, and when people take the risk to provide you a platform, (to be heard, seen, and speak your truth) you need to
take the path, re-define the trajectory of what is possible for you, and become
the leader you are meant to be.
Over the years, Betty & Melissa have brought companies to new directions because of their never-ending quest for growth, creativity, and positive impact. Their curiosity and courage to try new ideas has truly gained the respect and trust of prestigious industry leaders, organizations, and colleagues.
In this episode, they share their experience with gender-bias and their commitment to creating gender-equal workplaces that thrive and break through male-dominant corporate cultures. Tune in to learn more.
Betty joined Finconecta in May 2019 as a member of the board, and Chief Business Officer.
She is the founding CEO of BetdevSolutions, a fintech advisory practice working with early-stage and emerging companies on: strategy, value creation, partnerships, and the path to global scaling using her experience as a global executive in digital transformation and consumer financial services/payments.
She served as Chief Commercial Officer of Digital Payments & Labs, MasterCard.
In this global role, she was responsible for:
- Commercializing MasterCard Labs
- Digital order payments platform
- IoT commerce platform.
Before this role, she served as the President of MasterCard, Canada, supervising all aspects of the company’s enterprise.
Before joining MasterCard, she held various positions with Citi, in their global consumer franchise from 1982 to 2010.
- She left Citi as the Chair/CEO for Citibank Canada Inc. where she led the franchise across all lines of business.
- Her geographic scope for Citi included Latin America, the U.S., and Asia.
Betty was inducted into the Women’s Executive Network Hall of Fame as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women.
She earned the Institute of Corporate Directors certification from the University of Toronto and has served on multiple boards:
- Banco Popular (Nasdaq: BPOP) Tech & Comp committees, 2021
- Home Capital (TSX: HCG) Audit and Tech committees, 2021
- Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP) from May 2016 - May 2020.
She is a passionate advocate and proponent of women’s leadership and development. She is a connector of people and ideas.
Website: https://finconecta.com
M E L I S S A K I V E T T
Melissa Kivett is the Managing Director, Head of Prudential’s Enterprise Strategic Relationship Management. She is responsible for strategically catalyzing and deepening relationships with Prudential’s most valued partners and industry associations. She is an Executive Board Member of the Insured Retirement Institute, the leading financial services trade association for the retirement income industry, and Secretary of the Board and member of the Operating Committee for the Alliance for Lifetime Income.
Previously, Melissa held multiple leadership roles at Prudential, most recently as Chief Customer Experience & Marketing Officer of Individual Solutions Group. In a prior role as Chief Strategy Officer of Annuities, she led customer-focused digital transformation and redefined the skills and capabilities of the strategy, marketing, customer experience, communications, operations, and business intelligence teams. These efforts resulted in double-digit increases in business growth and team engagement.
Prior to joining Prudential, Melissa held diverse global roles at several Fortune 500 financial services companies, including head of strategy, business development, marketing, innovation, and investor relations. Her experience includes taking a Fortune 500 company public (second largest IPO that year next to Google) and leading investor relations during the 2008 financial crisis and SEC investigation. She also launched a global financial services brand, digitized a marketing organization, strategically reimagined a business portfolio for growth, and upskilled small and large 200+ multi-disciplinary teams.
A published innovator, Melissa’s work has been recognized by Innovation Leader magazine and the Corporate Executive Board. The Insurance Advisory Board recognized her accomplishment to build a strategic investor relations function as an industry best practice. Institutional Investor magazine named her work as one of the most shareholder-friendly teams in the financial services sector.
Kivett received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School. She serves as a coach with the 92nd Street Y for Women in Power and is a member of the Financial Women's Association and Columbia Women in Business. Previously, Melissa served on the Board of Directors for Assurant’s European Operations, the Advisory Council for the Investor Relations Roundtable, and the New York Stock Exchange Advisory Group.
Life insurance and annuities issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ and its affiliates. Variable annuities are distributed by Prudential Annuities Distributors, Inc. Variable universal life insurance policies are offered through Pruco Securities, LLC. All are Prudential Financial companies and each is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Prudential Annuities is a business of Prudential Financial, Inc.
© 2019 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. Prudential Annuities, Prudential, the Prudential logo, the Rock symbol, and Bring Your Challenges are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.
Business Innovation Group
DBA Belinda Pruyne
PO Box 373
Chester, MD 21619
Business Innovation Group
DBA Belinda Pruyne
PO Box 373
Chester, MD 21619