Value of Acceptance: The Evolution of Canada’s Payments System
Roundtable Luncheon with Darren Hannah, Dan Kelly and Sasha Krstic
C.D. Howe Institute events and webinars are open to members and their guests.
Please follow this link or contact events@cdhowe.org to register.
Darren Hannah, Vice President, Personal & Commercial Banking Policy, Canadian Bankers Association
Darren Hannah is the Vice President of Personal and Commercial Banking with the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA). In this capacity, he leads the CBA’s policy development and advocacy efforts in the areas of retail lending and deposit-taking policy, payments regulation, deposit insurance, taxation and financial sector economics. Mr. Hannah has been with the CBA since 2000, holding progressively senior roles in a wide variety of banking policy areas.
Mr. Hannah holds a B.A. in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Local Economic Development from the University of Waterloo and an MBA in Finance from the Schulich School of Business at York University. He has also completed the Executive Leadership Program at the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.
The Canadian Bankers Association is the voice of more than 60 domestic and foreign banks that help drive Canada’s economic growth and prosperity. The CBA advocates for public policies that contribute to a sound, thriving banking system to ensure Canadians can succeed in their financial goals.
Dan Kelly, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair, The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)
Dan Kelly serves as CFIB’s President and CEO and, in this role, is the lead spokesperson and advocate for the views of the organization’s 95,000 members.
Dan started his CFIB career in 1994 as a Policy Analyst in his hometown of Winnipeg. Dan later held various positions across Western Canada, including serving as Vice-President based in Calgary. In this role, Dan focused on the growing shortage of labour and the need for improvements to immigration and foreign worker systems.
Before becoming President and relocating to Toronto in 2012, Dan served as CFIB’s Senior Vice-President of Legislative Affairs based in Ottawa. While in Ottawa, Dan focused on the need for major changes in the payments industry and drafted the first version of Canada’s Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry.
Over the course of 2020 and 2021, Dan led CFIB’s 400 staff in supporting small businesses through endless lockdowns and COVID restrictions. Throughout the pandemic, CFIB took 150,000 calls from small business owners asking for help. In over 3,000 personal media interviews over the pandemic, Dan led the call for support for small business owners. This resulted in the wage and rent subsidies, the CEBA loan program and other provincial supports.
Dan has served on dozens of provincial and federal committees and task forces, and currently serves on Finance Canada Payments Consultative Committee (FINPAY). He has also represented Canada’s small businesses at the International Labour Organization in Geneva.
In 2015, Dan was named one of the “Top 100 most powerful and influential people in government and politics” by Power & Influence Magazine, and is regularly featured on lists of Canada’s top lobbyists. Dan is a regular speaker in Canada and around the world on topics such as international trade, the payments industry, and skills and labour shortages.
Dan was born and raised in Winnipeg and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Manitoba. He now lives in Toronto with his wife Nylia and son Kennedy.
Sasha Krstic, President, Mastercard Canada
Sasha Krstic is president of Mastercard in Canada. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of the company's Canadian operations and leads the regional strategy to continue growing Mastercard's brand and business in Canada.
Since joining Mastercard in 2004, Sasha has held leadership roles in key regions across the globe. Most recently, she was executive vice president of Services for Asia-Pacific, and from 2016-2018, she was the head of the Nordic and Baltic division, where she oversaw eight diverse markets and was responsible for developing and executing Mastercard's strategy to grow the business and deliver innovative payment experiences for consumers and merchants.
Sasha began her Mastercard career in Canada and is excited to bring her global experience and perspective back home. During her 11 years in the Toronto office, she held three key positions:
- Senior Vice President and Group Head, Global Products and Solutions, overseeing the development of innovative products and services to benefit Canadian consumers, merchants and business partners;
- Senior Vice President and Group Head, Issuer Relationship Management, working closely with financial institutions across the country, deepening relationships and strategically growing Mastercard's market position; and
- Client Business Leader, Advisors.
Sasha graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts in Native Studies and has an International Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University. She is passionate about bringing the best out of colleagues, partners and customers; advancing opportunities for women; and most importantly, of living and leading with authenticity.
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