LONDON, UK · PAYMENTS CONSULTANT & ADVISOR — PAYMENTS STRATEGY CONSULTANT
Rachael
Brigham
I help payments businesses unlock growth — through PSP strategy, authorisation optimisation, embedded finance, and marketplace scaling.
Diagnostic first, data-driven throughout. I identify where revenue is being lost, then design and execute the strategies to recover it — working directly with your executive team from day one.
From start-up to enterprise, my goal is the same: turn your payment infrastructure into a measurable competitive advantage.
25 years across Mastercard, global SaaS, and fintech — from scheme principal to $3Bn GTV operator. I’ve built the payments function from scratch, turned around underperforming portfolios, and opened new markets. I bring that depth to your challenge.
$3Bn
GTV delivered for a single embedded payments client
YoY revenue growth achieved through PSP strategy
7
Global markets operated simultaneously
45%
Organic revenue from authorisation optimisation alone
20m
Solving payments problems across schemes, SaaS & fintech
How I Work as a Payments Strategy Consultant
Three ways to engage
Whether you need strategic direction, hands-on delivery, or someone to lead a function through a critical phase — I work in the format that fits your needs.
Advisory & Consulting
Strategic guidance on PSP selection, authorisation optimisation, embedded finance strategy, scheme compliance, and payments roadmap design. Ideal for leadership teams who need a payments expert without the full-time commitment.
Interim Leadership
Stepping into a VP of Payments, Head of Cards, or Director of Embedded Finance role while you hire, through a transition, or to lead a time-critical programme. I operate at full executive pace from day one.
Fractional Payments Lead
Ongoing part-time engagement as your senior payments function — covering PSP relationships, scheme compliance, fraud governance, and team mentorship. Scales with your business as it grows.
Expertise — Payments Strategy Consultant
What I bring to your business
Payments Operations
Product & Technology
Leadership & Compliance
Track Record — Payments Strategy Consultant
Results delivered, not titles held
Every engagement below was a complex payments challenge. Here’s what was achieved and the kind of outcomes I bring to client engagements.
- Delivered $3Bn GTV and 45% YoY revenue growth across 7 markets via PSP partner management, authorisation optimisation, and disciplined GTM execution across UK, US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Germany and France
- Grew merchant payment adoption from ~30% to 65% by shipping Confirmation of Payee, Direct Debits, instant settlement, and dynamic account limits
- 75%— card portfolio revenue growth – Launched Apple Pay, Google Pay, virtual cards, and automated card activation across all markets
- £100M+ incremental GTV by opening the Canadian mid-market through bespoke PSP pricing models;
- +70% YoY Capital revenue via 4 new lending markets
- 20-point NPS improvement through full redevelopment of merchant payout reporting and reconciliation infrastructure
- £20M+ incremental organic revenue via a declined-authorisations optimisation strategy — identifying and resolving systemic failure points across the issuing portfolio
- £5M+ incremental revenue from portfolio interchange repricing with zero increase in customer churn
- Led Germany market launch end-to-end; delivered full rollout of Pay@Pump, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Virtual Cards
- 3× GTV and revenue growth — redesigned merchant onboarding and API integration, cutting integration time from weeks to days and onboarding 100+ clients
- Secured FCA EMI licence and Visa scheme membership — led both applications end-to-end with full compliance frameworks
- Launched multi-currency virtual card expansion across 9 new currencies
- Day-one NPP (real-time payments) go-live — ahead of all Big Four Australian banks — with 30 clients activated, leading cross-functional delivery end-to-end
- First-to-market Feedzai AI fraud implementation on NPP rails; renegotiated Cuscal’s Visa principal membership for significant upside
- 8% reduction in eCommerce payment declines within 6 months — $49M+ annual revenue opportunity — by building a cross-functional issuer engagement programme across 55M annual declines
- Led regional debit portfolio growth and CVP revitalisation across 15+ APAC markets via segmentation analysis and mass-affluent GTM strategy
Education & Credentials — Payments Strategy Consultant
Qualifications & Achievements
BSc Hons Mathematics
University of Hull
FCA EMI Licence Holder
Financial Conduct Authority
Visa & Mastercard Scheme Principal
Principal membership holder
Board Director, EFTPOS Australia
2016–2018
Feedzai AI Fraud Implementation
First-in-market on NPP rails