Leadership Team
Directors
Peter “Pete” J. Kight
Cynergy Data Director since October 2009 and Chairman of the Board since May 2010; Pipeline Data Director since February 2009 and Chairman of the Board since May 2010. Since December, 2007, Mr. Kight has served as Vice Chairman and Director of Fiserv, Inc. Fiserv is a Brookfield, Wis.-based provider of information management and electronic commerce systems and services to the financial and insurance industries. Mr. Kight is the founder of CheckFree Services Corporation. Kight founded CheckFree in 1981 and served as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until the company was acquired by Fiserv in December 2007. Kight’s initial vision for CheckFree was to provide electronic funds transfer services to make it easier for consumers to pay their monthly bills. That vision expanded to include services and technology infrastructures that enable and simplify the electronic movement and management of personal and business finances. By 2007, CheckFree was providing financial electronic commerce services and products, with a focus on electronic billing and payment, to more than 5,000 financial service organizations around the globe. Under Kight’s leadership, CheckFree progressively expanded its scope as the financial electronic commerce market moved forward, building and managing complementary infrastructures – bill payment, electronic funds transfer, electronic banking, investment services, compliance services, payment processing software, electronic billing software, reconciliation and exception management capabilities – through internal development and acquisitions. In 2007, he was named the first recipient of the Peter J. Kight Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Bank Technology News. Mr. Kight has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Akamai Technologies, Inc. since March 2004; Manhattan Associates, Inc. since October 2007; and USA Track & Field Foundation since April 2005.
Michael S. Falk
Cynergy Data Director since October 2009; Pipeline Data advisor to the Board from February 2009 to May 2010 and Director since May 2010. Mr. Falk is Co-Chairman of The Comvest Group and a Managing Partner of Comvest’s control equity funds. Mr. Falk co-founded The Comvest Group in 1988 which, since inception, has specialized in financing, advising and investing in distressed, underperforming, and growth-oriented lower middle-market businesses. Under Mr. Falk’s leadership Comvest and its affiliates have financed, restructured, owned and operated numerous lower middle market businesses, many of which have returned significant multiples of invested capital to Comvest and its partners. Mr. Falk’s long-developed approach of teaming up with proven operating executives to make active and control investments in distressed healthcare, technology, services, and transportation businesses is the backbone of Comvest’s successful control distressed investment strategy. Mr. Falk has been a board member or advisor to many Comvest portfolio companies and currently plays an active role in Averion InternationalCorp., Accelerated Care Plus, Nations Health, Pipeline Data, Critical Information Network and EVCI Career Colleges. Mr. Falk was formerly a director of Allegiant Travel Company until shortly after its IPO. Mr. Falk is Co-Trustee of the Michael and Annie Falk Foundation which supports children, the environment and the arts. Mr. Falk holds a B.A. degree in Economics and Econometrics from Queens College and attended the Stanford University Executive Program for Smaller Companies.
Kim Fitzsimmons, Chief Executive Officer
Kim Fitzsimmons joined Cynergy Data in January 2012 as Chief Executive Officer, bringing with her more than two decades of industry experience and a stellar reputation for her intelligence, energy and compassion. Throughout her career in the payments industry, she has compiled a successful track record of accomplishments in both sales management and leadership.
After earning her BA in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi, Fitzsimmons began her payments career in telephone sales, then later, direct merchant sales for Concord EFS. Her drive and passion for the payments industry eventually fueled her decision to form her own company, EFS Card Services. Using the knowledge she attained from running her own company, and the skills she gained from field sales, Fitzsimmons was instrumental in creating the strategies used to merge the Concord sales force with First Data in 2004. After leading First Data’s Independent Sales Services (FDISS) division, she assumed responsibility for the remainder of First Data Merchant Services (FDMS), which included more than 1,000 financial institutions and referral partners. At the time of her departure, Fitzsimmons was acting as President of First Data’s Independent Sales division and was managing close to 50% of First Data’s total EBITDA of $ 1.4 billion. As Cynergy Data’s new CEO, Fitzsimmons is applying the same drive and performance-based philosophy to fuel company growth and customer satisfaction. To achieve this goal, she is placing top priority on creating and reinforcing a customer-focused corporate culture at Cynergy – a client-centric organization that is based on teamwork and informed decisions. Additionally, she plans to drive client satisfaction by continuing to invest in its products to offer unparalleled functionality and unsurpassed support for Cynergy’s most valued asset – its ISO partners. Fitzsimmons is currently serving as treasurer of the Electronic Transaction Association (ETA), is the immediate past president of (W.Net) Women Networking in Electronic Transactions, and has served on the Advisory board of The Green Sheet.
Daniel K. Nenadovic
Cynergy Data Director since October 2009; Pipeline Data Director since February 2009. For more than the past six years, Mr. Nenadovic has and continues to work with The ComVest Group, a private investment firm, and its affiliated entities. He currently serves as a Principal at The ComVest Group. Mr. Nenadovic previously worked with The ComVest Group’s predecessor, Commonwealth Associates. Prior to joining Commonwealth, Mr. Nenadovic’s merchant banking career focused on information technology and involvement in all facets of the deal-making process. Earlier in his career, Mr. Nenadovic worked at Allen & Company, a merchant bank specializing in the media, telecom, and entertainment industries. Mr. Nenadovic graduated cum laude from the Stern School of Business at New York University, with dual Bachelors Degrees in Finance and International Business.
Timothy F. Agnew, CPA/PFS, CFP®
Cynergy Data Director since October 2009; Pipeline Data Director since February 2009. Since January, 1991, Mr. Agnew has been a partner in the tax department of Smith & Howard, a CPA firm located in Atlanta, GA. Mr. Agnew joined Smith and Howard in December, 1990. Mr. Agnew also serves as Managing Director of Smith & Howard Wealth Management. Mr. Agnew specializes in providing estate and personal financial planning services, including overall strategies related to the exercise and disposition of employee stock options. He also focuses on providing comprehensive tax services to businesses, real estate developers, real estate investors and high net-worth individuals. Mr. Agnew earned a BBA in Accounting and a Master of Taxation degree from Georgia State University. He is a member of the inaugural Philanthropic Advisor Leadership Institute class, a member of the AICPA, where he is a participates in the Tax and Personal Financial Planning Division, and the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, where he is a member of the Estate Tax Committee. Mr. Agnew also is a member of the Atlanta Tax Forum, the Atlanta Estate Planning Council, the Financial Planning Association, Vistage (formerly known as TEC) and a board member of the Georgia Federal Tax Conference.
Officers
Sheila G. Corvino, Esq.
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Cynergy Data since October 2009; General Counsel of Pipeline Data since June 2007, Corporate Secretary of Pipeline Data since February 2009. Mrs. Corvino has represented Pipeline Data since March 2000. From 2000 to 2005, Mrs. Corvino also served as lead corporate counsel to Eweb 21, a pioneer in social networking and ecommerce with corporate headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, executive offices in London and branches in Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong and Manila. Mrs. Corvino worked directly with the Eweb chairman and chief executive officer on world-wide corporate transactions, franchise opportunities and financing arrangements with, among others, Soft Bank and the South Korean government. From 1995, Mrs. Corvino concentrated on international, corporate and securities laws, representing various entities in New York, London and Vienna. She developed a niche practice consulting for U.S. law firms on special matters representing both onshore and offshore corporations going public in the U.S. and foreign companies being acquired by U.S. entities. Mrs. Corvino practiced at Battle Fowler (merged into Paul Hastings Janofsky and Walker) concentrating in corporate and securities law from June 1987 to September 1993 and as in-house counsel at The Dreyfus Corporation from October 1993 to January 1995. Mrs. Corvino is a three-time American Jurisprudence Award winner, a graduate of St. John’s University Law School and was a published member of its law review.
Nancy J. Disman
Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Pipeline Cynergy Holdings since 2011. Nancy Disman began her professional career as a manager of the audit and assurance practice for Ernst and Young in the technology, communication and entertainment group. In March 1998 she joined First Data USA as Vice President, Controller. During the next nine years Disman continually assumed greater responsibility, rising to Vice President for Planning & Analysis, Senior Vice President and CFO and, ultimately Senior Vice President, CFO & COO of First Data USA/Merchant Services. In this role, Disman led a staff of more than 800 finance, accounting and treasury professionals in 20 cities across the country and was responsible for First Data’s finance, accounting, billing, treasury and settlement functions. She played a critical role in the merger between KKR and First Data, developing five year financial models for a $4 billion business unit.
Disman is a steering committee board member of Friends of Karen, has championed fundraising events for Little Flower Children’s Services, and created two scholarship funds that support students at Half Hollow Hills High School and the University at Albany. Disman received the Top 40 under 40 Award from Long Island Business News as recognition for a proven track record of career success and community involvement. Disman is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany.
Andres Ordonez
Chief Information Officer of Cynergy Data since 1998 and of Pipeline Data since December 2009. Mr. Ordonez joined Cynergy Data in 1998 and has helped it become the technology-driven industry leader it is today. He created the company’s VIMAS software program, a cutting-edge online account management system, and continues to work on developing technology for the company and its agents and merchants. Before coming to Cynergy, Andres ran his own computer business, which provided educational software to public schools and offered custom applications for certified public accountants. Andres earned his bachelor’s degree in computer sciences from Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Argentina.
Marcelo Paladini
Vice Chairman of Cynergy Data since October 2009; Executive Vice President of Business Development of Cynergy Data and Pipeline Data since October 2009. Mr. Paladini was founder of Cynergy Data as well as its CEO and Chairman from 1995 to 2009. Prior to Cynergy Data’s launch in 1995, Paladini established himself as a successful management executive and entrepreneur, first in his homeland, Argentina, where he served as Director of Media for an Argentinian advertising company, and then in New York, where he developed a reputation as an expert in finance and operations. Today, Paladini is vice chairman of Cynergy Data and oversees Cynergy Data’s mergers, acquisitions and business development. Marcelo graduated with an MBA from Catholic University of Cordoba, Argentina. Through his sales experience, Paladini recognized that there were essential services and service levels missing from the processing industry. He co-founded a processing company that took an innovative approach to customer service and agent and merchant relationships. As the company continues innovating through technology, Paladini personally oversees the development and launching of new products.
Thomas Tesmer
Executive Vice President of Processing of Pipeline Data and Cynergy Data since December 2009 and Chief Technology Officer of Pipeline Data between July 2004 and December 2009. Mr. Tesmer was the president of Symmetrex, Inc., a processing company supporting third-party clients that operated open and closed loop stored value card programs in the United States and foreign markets from October 2002 to July 2004. Mr. Tesmer was also founder and President of TransNet Inc., the predecessor to today’s Chase-Paymentech processing venture. Mr. Tesmer’s prior career engagements include positions as Chief Technology Officer for the HONOR debit switch, forerunner to First Data’s Star@ national debit switch and positions as Director of Software Development for several First Data front end payments processing entities. Mr. Tesmer is also past President and Chairman of the Board and of Directors of Q Comm International, Inc., a publicly-traded technology company, which traded on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol QMM, and is a past chairman of the ETA Technology Committee.