The Payments Association Appoints Emma Banymandhub as CEO

The Payments Association has appointed Emma Banymandhub as its next CEO. She replaces Ben Agnew, who held the role for nearly six years, at the trade body dedicated to shaping the future of the payments industry landscape. Emma Banymandhub has been with The Payments Association for just over three years, joining as the Event and Marketing Director and has been the Chief Operating Officer for the last 14 months.

During her time as COO, the trade body tripled its headcount. It currently has over 250 member organisations in the financial services sector, including payments vendors, financial institutions and technology vendors.

As CEO, she will also continue to spend time influencing government policy on behalf of its members. The Trade body previously lobbied successfully to change the stance of the regulator and the Government’s shift on issues such as Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud reimbursement rules.

Her appointment comes at a time when the trade body is targeting international growth, after 18 years as a UK-centric organisation. Banymandhub received the full board’s backing as she looks to guide the organisation on its next chapter of growth. As CEO, she will aim to take The Payments Association’s model to international markets while strengthening its impact on UK business outcomes and payments policies.

These seem to be potential conflicting viewpoints if the organisations looks to champion foreign payment businesses. However, the aim to bring policy standards either across the EU or globally holds both merit and offers a good outcome for British payments businesses looking to grow internationally.

Backed by the Board

The announcement follows the investment by Nineteen Group, a global events company, backed by Phoenix Equity in 2025. Alison Jackson, CEO of Nineteen Group, said: “We’re so excited to see how Emma leads the group in its next chapter of international growth. We’re confident she can further enhance this strong and highly respected platform, and create a robust foundation for future growth.”

Tony Craddock, Founder of The Payments Association, said, “Emma’s promotion is exactly what our community needs. She brings an enthusiasm for the unbeatable combination of community and events that makes us different. I have every confidence that her appointment marks the start of a more influential, more international and more powerful force for good in the payments industry.”

Who is Emma Banymandhub?

Banymandhub has more than 17 years of experience growing events and building influential industry communities. She has advised or led more than 20 organisations to improve commercial performance. Before TPA, she was co-founder of Talk Business, which offered a cost-effective, personalised approach to connecting tech with enterprises, via virtual 1-2-1 meetings or bespoke briefings.

Banymandhub has been instrumental in the growth of The Payments Organisation since she joined. She has led the growth of Pay360, now the largest payments-focused event in the UK. Earlier this year, the event hosted around 6,300 attendees, and included more than 150 exhibitors and 200 speakers.

She also oversaw the PAY360 awards, which TPA believe to be the most prestigious awards in the Payments industry. Banymandhub graduated from Lancaster University with a degree in European Legal Studies.

Emma Banymandhub, CEO of The Payments Association, said, “I’m honoured to lead The Payments Association into its next phase of growth, with a clear focus on strengthening our global presence while deepening the sense of community that sits at the heart of our industry.

“Payments are far more than transactions; it is the invisible engine that keeps societies functioning and economies moving. If the world could not move money for even five minutes, the impact would be felt everywhere.

“That responsibility creates an extraordinary opportunity for our industry to collaborate, innovate and lead with purpose. I believe The Payments Association can become a truly global community for the payments ecosystem, creating meaningful connections and industry conversations across every continent.

“Businesses grow when people feel valued, and as we expand internationally, our success will be measured by the strength of the communities we build, the people we bring together, and the positive impact we create across the global payments landscape.”

Enterprise Times: What does this mean?

This is a huge opportunity for Banymandhub, who has been instrumental in the organisation’s growth over recent years. The extra responsibilities of the CEO my however, mean she needs to delegate her responsibility on the events front like Pay360.

However, she has proven herself to the board, understands the trade body intimately and has a clear objective to grow the organisation internationally. With her education background in European business, it will be interesting to see whether she targets Europe or North America first. From a time zone perspective, Europe would be easier.

Over the next few weeks and months, it will be interesting to hear where she intends to expand The Payments Association and how she opts to do so.

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