LEADERSHIP
Lesley Saitta
Partner & Strategic Advisor
As Partner & Strategic Advisor, Lesley focuses on developing W. Capra’s expanding solutions, services, and partners globally, and providing strategic advisory to the W. Capra Leadership Team, as well as to its clients and partners. She works closely with both domestic and international retailers, consumer goods companies, software providers and industry associations. Lesley’s focus on leadership, organization, infrastructure and change management transforms companies and yields significant returns. Lesley is a co-founder of Impact 21, which was acquired by W. Capra in April 2024.
Lesley is a mentor to many successful retail executives and entrepreneurs and is committed to expanding equality and diversity in the workplace. Her passion for Stott Pilates, golf, pickleball, reading, championing children with learning differences and personal work with several non-profit foundations keep her both humbled and inspired.
Insights
- What Merchants Need to Know About the Visa / Mastercard SettlementThough there are multiple class action lawsuits in place against the card brands, the particular litigation addressed in the March 26, 2024, settlement carries industry-wide implications. Per the settlement, Visa and Mastercard have agreed that, interchange rates will lower rates by 4 basis points for the next 3 years.
- What’s the Cost of Not Monitoring Your Cost of Acceptance?Every major retailer accepts credit card payments across the varied channels that consumers use to shop. With this acceptance comes myriad processing fees, ranging from direct and understandable to fees described with esoteric acronyms on merchant funding statements that only the most experienced experts on the acquirer team can explain. Since payment processing fees can be one of the most significant expenses a retailer has, how can you stay on top of your cost of acceptance and ensure margins aren’t eroding in an increasingly challenging macroeconomic environment?
- As Technology Evolves, So Does the Need for Quality AssuranceAs the industry witnesses constant innovation and the introduction of new solutions, QA capabilities have become table stakes for ensuring the smooth functioning of consumer-facing and back-end technology. Whether rolling out new capabilities, maintaining existing solutions, or testing hypotheses, technological advances have introduced new channels that require rigid testing.
