Jagdeep Singh Sahota, NACD.DC | Independent Board Director
Jagdeep Singh Sahota, NACD.DC
Jagdeep Singh Sahota, NACD.DC brings 25+ years of executive leadership at the intersection of payments innovation, banking transformation, and enterprise risk governance. He holds the NACD Directorship Certification® — the premier board director credential in the United States — and is actively seeking independent board director roles where deep payments expertise, technology governance fluency, and risk-aware innovation leadership can add measurable value.
What I Bring to a Board
Boards in banking, fintech, and technology are navigating a convergence of forces that didn't exist a decade ago, real-time payment settlement risk, AI-embedded underwriting, Stablecoin reserve management, digital asset custody, and the regulatory infrastructure required to govern all of it. These are not abstract topics. They are the systems I have spent 25 years building, scaling, and governing from the inside.
I bring three things that are difficult to find in combination at the board level:
Foundational technical depth. I wrote the EMV chip card and contactless payment specifications that the global payment system runs on today. I understand financial infrastructure at the protocol level, not just the strategy or product level, which means I can ask the questions in a Technology or Audit committee that surface real risk rather than surface-level reassurance.
Commercial operator experience. I took Visa Direct from concept to a platform processing $100B+ annually. I built a payments business from scratch as Chief Payments Officer of a regulated bank, held full P&L accountability, and drove $250M in annual payment volume from launch. I know how payment businesses actually work, where the margin lives, where the risk hides, and what separates durable growth from fragile growth.
Risk governance from the inside. I served as Enterprise Risk Owner for all payments operations at Banc of California, presented quarterly to the Bank Risk Committee, and built the payments compliance stack, KYC, AML, OFAC, beneficial ownership, 314(a), from the ground up within a federally regulated environment. I have sat in the risk seat, not just reviewed reports from it.
Governance Credentials
NACD Directorship Certification® (NACD.DC) National Association of Corporate Directors — the highest governance credential for corporate directors in the United States, covering fiduciary duty, audit committee essentials, enterprise risk oversight, executive compensation, and boardroom dynamics.
Board Chair — Sahaita Inc. (501(c)(3) Nonprofit, 5 Years)Established formal governance architecture including board committee charters, conflict-of-interest policies, and annual board evaluation processes. Grew annual fundraising 140% from $250,000 to $600,000.
Industry Standards Contributor Active contributor to EMVCo, NACHA, and PCI Security Standards Council.
Patents Lead inventor on 23+ global patents and patent applications in payments, authentication, and blockchain-based payment systems.
Committee Expertise
Technology & Innovation Committee AI governance, blockchain and digital asset strategy, payment infrastructure modernization, real-time payments (FedNow, RTP), cybersecurity and fraud oversight, product governance and agile delivery at scale. Visa Innovation Lab experience prototyping emerging technology with enterprise partners including Marriott, Costco, and Fidelity using a structured de-risk-before-scale methodology.
Audit & Risk Committee Enterprise payment risk ownership, AML/OFAC surveillance oversight, KYC and beneficial ownership compliance, 314(a), post-consent order risk management, transaction monitoring infrastructure, and regulatory compliance in federally regulated bank environments. Direct Bank Risk Committee reporting experience.
Strategic Growth & Partnerships Committee CEO advisory on fintech partnerships, embedded finance strategy, M&A due diligence, competitive intelligence across major payment networks and fintech disruptors, revenue strategy and P&L optimization, and partner ecosystem expansion. Mastercard brand negotiation experience. Partnership history with Google, Apple, Facebook, Marriott, Costco, Fidelity, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and U.S. Bank.
Target Board Sectors
I am particularly well-suited to boards in the following sectors:
- Community & Regional Banks — navigating payments modernization, digital transformation, FedNow/RTP adoption, fintech partnership strategy, and compliance infrastructure buildout
- Fintech Companies — pre-IPO, growth-stage, or PE-backed firms in payments, embedded finance, BaaS, card issuance, and digital assets seeking independent directors with operator credibility and formal governance credentials
- Technology & Internet Companies — with embedded payments, financial services products, or regulatory exposure requiring directors fluent in both technology governance and financial services risk
- Digital Asset & Blockchain Companies — regulated entities navigating Stablecoin frameworks, CBDC strategy, tokenized deposit infrastructure, and the governance requirements of institutional-grade digital finance
Contact Us
Contact Us
Better yet, Let's talk!
If you are on a nominating committee, collaborating with an executive search firm focused on board placements, or building a board in financial services, fintech, or technology, I would welcome a direct conversation. As a representative of Luminary Partners, I can provide insights on effective strategies. Board resumes and extended bios are available upon request, including information on our Luminary Tax Advisors and Luminary Wealth services.
Luminary Advisors LLC
Luminary Advisors LLC