What MPE Berlin revealed about leadership, AI and career growth in payments

What does strong leadership look like in payments today? According to a panel at MPE Berlin, it is not just about technical knowledge. It is about influence, adaptability, trust and knowing where human judgment matters most.

At the event, Miranda McLean, Chief Marketing Officer at Ecommpay, joined Anton Kornilov, independent payments expert and former Mastercard and American Express leader, Viktoria Soltesz, CEO of PSP Angels and the Soltesz Institute, and Bram Vreugdenhil, co-founder of PaymentGenes, for a panel moderated by Julia Streets, entrepreneur, executive coach and podcast host.

Together, they explored how leadership is evolving in payments, what AI means for decision-making and brand trust, and how professionals can build careers that are both high impact and sustainable.

One of the clearest themes from the discussion was that payments leadership is no longer confined to a single team.

Payments now sits at the intersection of product, compliance, finance, operations, customer experience and commercial growth. That makes cross-functional influence a must-have.

Miranda McLean spoke about the reality of leading in a regulated environment, where success often depends on influencing teams you do not directly manage. That means building trust, speaking the language of different stakeholders, and helping decisions move forward without unnecessary friction.

For modern payments leaders, influence is becoming just as important as authority.

AI was a central part of the conversation, but the panel took a measured view.

Rather than seeing AI as a replacement for people, the discussion focused on where it adds real value and where human oversight still matters. In a trust-led industry like payments, that distinction is critical.

Miranda made the point from a brand and marketing perspective: the biggest risk is not just poor AI content, but generic AI content. Content that is competent, polished and completely forgettable. A sea of sameness.

That is why businesses need to be clear about when to use AI for speed and efficiency, and when human creativity, emotional intelligence and judgment are essential to protect trust and authenticity.

The panel also challenged the idea that deep expertise alone is enough to build a successful career.

Bram Vreugdenhil highlighted the growing importance of human-centred skills such as adaptability, communication and self-awareness. As AI reshapes recruitment and day-to-day work, these qualities are becoming even more valuable.

Anton Kornilov added a practical framework for anyone trying to grow influence: credibility, context, coalition-building and consistency. His point was clear: leadership often starts before the title does.

Viktoria Soltesz pushed this further, arguing that payments still relies too heavily on informal learning and instinct. In an industry making complex, high-stakes decisions, she made the case for stronger education, clearer standards and broader cross-functional understanding.

A particularly strong part of the discussion focused on burnout and career sustainability.

In fast-moving sectors like payments, it is easy to equate performance with constant availability. The panel challenged that mindset. Sustainable success, they argued, depends on clearer priorities, psychological safety and recognising that recovery is part of high performance.

The comparison with elite sport stood out. Great performance is not built on permanent intensity. It is built on cycles of effort, recovery, learning and growth.

That is a useful reminder for leaders and teams alike.

The biggest takeaway from the panel was simple: the future of payments belongs to people who can combine technical understanding with human judgment.

That means learning across functions, building trust, using AI thoughtfully and communicating with clarity.

Technology will keep changing the industry. But the people who stand out will be the ones who know how to lead through that change, without losing sight of what matters most.