Lucas Quinio is Head of Payments at Conforama Europe's second-largest home furnishings retail chain. We talked to him about his entry into payments, what it takes to be a successful payments leader, and the challenge of working across functions.
Payments is a role you typically fall into. It’s not typically a role one considers when growing up or entering the workplace, as it’s not taught in schools nor discussed when making career choices. However, once you discover this field, it can be a rewarding path to follow.
This was my experience. I had the opportunity to join Carrefour, where I worked for a new FinTech division focused on payments. I enjoyed working in the middle ground, at the intersection of IT and business, something that’s quite unique to a career in payments.
As Head of Payments, you always have one foot on the technical side—being innovative and solutions-focused—and the other in the business side—improving the customer journey and achieving business goals. It’s essential to understand and enjoy both aspects.
Balancing these two paths inspires me. I get to be creative and curious while also being strategic. Working in payments allows me to interact across multiple functions, from the tech team to marketers to the Board. Intellectually, it’s gratifying, and I’ve never regretted finding my way into this field.
Payments touch every aspect of the business, so I report to various departments. It’s a challenge, but it’s also fun.
My direct report is to the finance team, where we discuss numbers, cost, and investment alongside key performance KPIs.
I regularly liaise with the IT director and CTO to explain the tools we deploy and trends such as decline and error rates. Additionally, I frequently report to the security and audit team, as fraud management is a significant part of payments and often the first place issues are detected.
I also partner with the marketing team, whose primary KPI is driving sales. Together, we work on projects such as identifying and introducing new payment methods that boost conversion.
Since payment is a strategic priority at Conforama, I also spend a lot of time with the C-suite. For instance, I recently shared our long-term vision for payments with the company president.
Working in payments is often about problem-solving; you must find solutions to meet everyone’s needs.
You must also be flexible and able to adjust your mindset and conversations depending on which team you’re speaking with. Additionally, you need to excel at generating reports!
Attitudes towards payments depend on the nature of the business. In large companies, a common misconception is that payments are a siloed, one-dimensional function. In smaller organizations, it’s often thought that payments don’t need to exist as a separate function at all.
In my view, a Head of Payments must sit above everything. I regularly work across different teams that are not explicitly focused on payments. To do this job effectively, you must be open to collaborating with other functions and maintaining oversight of everything happening across the business.
It’s hard to pinpoint when a business needs to hire someone full-time for payments, but it happens in every company. Often, companies transition from knowing nothing about payments to having an expert with no in-between. This is why first-time payment leaders can have a challenging job initially but can also make a significant impact quickly.
I speak with many people at events, and when I tell them what I do, they’re often shocked because they didn’t realize payments is a dedicated role or that their own companies might need it too. On the other hand, some people are surprised that I’m the only one doing this job at Conforama.
Overall, payments is still a very new role for most businesses. Everyone is looking for the right setup, and finding one isn’t easy. I’m the first Head of Payments at Conforama, and it’s one of the reasons I enjoy the role—I get to be strategic while also being hands-on.
It depends on the individual and the business, but ultimately, there’s no reason why payments shouldn’t be a C-level or at least a Head-of-function position, even if it isn’t represented on the Board.
Why? Because to manage payments effectively, you need a degree of autonomy and decision-making power. Without this, you’ll spend your time negotiating with everyone and going in circles rather than getting things done.
In the absence of a dedicated payments lead, you need a powerful sponsor—someone at the board level who understands the importance of payments, can vouch for your work, and can help you progress.
I’m based in France, where we have a close and collaborative payments community. My best source of information is a WhatsApp group, and I regularly interact with other payment leaders. We communicate daily, swap links, ask questions, and exchange experiences.
I also spend a lot of time with our solutions partners, sharing ideas and discussing new technologies. I’m also part of a government group that focuses on new payment regulations.
Recruitment is always complicated. People are a significant investment, but having the right skills is essential to drive the business forward. My first priority is to hire a dedicated fraud expert to strengthen our team.
Many companies have a Head of Payments who works closely with both a payments manager and a fraud manager, who are more technical. Large companies should at least have these three roles, and I anticipate we will grow this way.
There may also be a future where specific product and engineering teams are built around payments—a very exciting prospect that I’d be eager to champion.
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