It’s almost time and we can’t wait! The countdown is ON for EPCOR Payments Conference - Fall 2018! As the conference is quickly approaching, we would like to give you a glimpse into the stories behind some of the industry leaders coming to Overland Park, starting with David Lott of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Retail Payments Risk Forum.

David has worked in the financial services industry all his professional life. He shared that he started working for a regional bank in operational areas that gave him a wide range of knowledge of the “nuts and bolts” of bank operations. After ten years at the bank he joined a niche management consulting firm specializing in payments and retail banking. David says his operational experiences were broadened working with clients on the development of strategic plans related to delivery channels and products.

The journey that led David to where he is today has certainly been an exciting one. He explained, “I was a consultant for 30 years working with a wide range of stakeholders in the payments ecosystem on strategic and operational assignments. The work was primarily based in the United States, but I also worked on projects involving banking and network operations in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Central America, the Caribbean and Australia.” David joined the Atlanta Fed in 2012 where he has been able to put all his experience to good use in his current role at the Payments Risk Forum. “I love the work that I do in the Risk Forum,” he shared. “We have the opportunity to interact with so many different people in our continuing efforts of research and education with regards to payment risk issues. Unfortunately, the criminal forces continue to explore new ways to commit fraud while still conducting their tried and true efforts, so it is a continuing battle to understand fraud trends and ways to mitigate that fraud.”

When asked about who or what inspires him, David shared that his parents were the most inspirational factor in his professional life. He went on to say, “From an early age they stressed the importance of education and curiosity, while also creating a foundation of personal integrity and responsibility. They made many sacrifices for myself and my two brothers to provide for us.”

David is very passionate about his family. He shared that he and his wife have been blessed with a wonderful family, including three married sons and six grandchildren (5 girls and 1 boy). David explained, “They all live in the Atlanta area, so we get to see them quite a bit. We enjoy our own time with the grandkids doing activities where we try to tap into some of their energy.” David and his wife also enjoy traveling to new areas in the United States. Over the last three years they have visited areas in the Pacific Northwest, Appalachia and upper New England for the first time.

During our conference, David will be speaking a total of three times. His sessions include Improved Payments Security with Biometrics (occurring twice) and Hot Topics in Fraud (occurring once). Through his sessions, he hopes attendees will gain a better understanding of the various biometric modalities that are being used to improve payment security, as well as understand their advantages and disadvantages. David feels that the important point is there is no single authentication method by itself that is 100% reliable.

We are so excited to have David joining us as a speaker on The Road to Faster Payments! We hope you will join us as well! Don’t forget to check out David’s sessions, and you haven’t already, consider registering for the conference. For a full list of speakers, session descriptions, hotel information and so much more, please visit our conference website.