Payment Expert’s ID Check: Payments Professionals offers insight from industry leaders and experts on how they got their start in the financial industry, from their early years in education, to how they have been able to climb the corporate ladder.
This week, Nadish Lad, Global Head of Product and Strategic Business at Volante Technologies, emphasises there is no substitute for persistence and hard work, explaining how he encountered scaling issues and why a consumer-first perspective was key to overcoming this.
Where did you go to university and what did you study? What impact did this have on your current journey?
I studied at the University of Mumbai in India, where I was first introduced to programming and later completed an MBA in London.
Looking back, those two experiences shaped my career in very different ways. Programming sparked my interest in technology and problem-solving, while my MBA taught me to look at challenges from multiple perspectives.
In payments, you are constantly balancing the priorities of customers, operations, technology teams, and regulators, so having both those technical and commercial viewpoints has been incredibly valuable.
What first drew you to the payments industry and why have you stayed?
When I started my career, cash and cheques were still the dominant forms of payment. Around the same time, the internet boom began, and online banking started to gain traction.
It felt like I was witnessing the beginning of a major shift in how people moved money. At its core, payments is about transferring value, and the idea that technology could make that process faster, easier, and more accessible was fascinating to me. Nearly 30 years later, that same pace of change is one of the reasons I have stayed. There is always something new around the corner.
Are there any lessons from your first role in the industry which you still draw on?
My first role was as a developer, and it taught me just how much responsibility comes with building technology for financial services.
I quickly realised that the code I wrote could improve operational efficiency within a bank, but that even small mistakes in coding or testing could have a much wider impact on customers and the bank’s reputation.
That experience instilled in me a customer-first mindset and a strong appreciation for getting the details right, which I have carried throughout my career.
When was your first big break in the industry? Why was this such a significant moment for you?
My first big break came straight after university when I started working on a banking teller platform.
It was the first time I truly understood how technology influences people’s everyday experiences. The work I was doing affected not only the tellers using the platform, but also the customers standing on the other side of the counter. Realising that I could contribute to something so critical gave me a real sense of purpose and reinforced that I had chosen the right path.
Was there a moment you faced in the industry which really challenged you? How did you overcome this?
One of the biggest challenges I faced after deploying software for a Tier 1 financial institution was when the platform encountered scaling issues.
As part of the team leading the response, we adjusted our deployment and support strategy to better align with the bank’s peak processing periods. We continuously monitored the customer experience and rolled out improvements until the platform stabilised successfully.
It was an intense experience, but it taught me invaluable lessons around stakeholder management, maintaining a 360-degree view of a problem, and always keeping the customer at the centre of decision-making.
What are some of the skills you deem essential to starting in your industry and how have yours developed over the years?
People often talk about vision and persistence, and both are important. But if I had to choose, I believe hard work is the skill that underpins everything else.
Throughout your career, you will find yourself in unfamiliar situations, whether that is a new role, a new customer or a new technology. In those moments, you have to put in the effort to learn, ask questions and build your understanding.
Over time, that approach has become second nature to me. Once you understand the problem, finding the right solution becomes much easier.
Who was your biggest role model – inside or outside of your industry – who continues to inspire you in your current career?
Steve Jobs continues to inspire me.
It is not just because of the products he created, but because of the way he changed how people think about technology and how they interact with it. Products like the iPod and iPhone transformed everyday experiences and demonstrated what can happen when you combine vision with an uncompromising focus on the end user.
That ability to think differently and challenge established norms is something that has stayed with me.
If you did not work in the industry, what other career option would you have pursued?
I have always had a passion for chess and still try to spend 15 to 30 minutes each day revisiting famous games played by some of the world’s leading players.
If I had not pursued a career in payments, I would have loved to explore chess professionally. Whether I would have been successful is another matter entirely, but it is a game that teaches patience, discipline and the importance of thinking several moves ahead.
Lastly, what advice would you give to an aspiring person looking to get a start in your respective industry?
There is no substitute for persistence and hard work. Every organisation and every industry presents its own challenges and opportunities. If you are willing to learn, remain curious and put in the effort to understand the problems you are trying to solve, you will be well placed to succeed.
Interested in sharing your experiences from the industry and passing on advice to the next-generation for ID Check? Contact: [email protected]
