Payments Canada appoints new president and chief executive officer

The board of directors of Payments Canada has appointed TD Bank’s Susan Hawkins as its new president and chief executive officer, following the departure of Tracey Black at the end of March.

Hawkins, who has served as the global head of enterprise payments and executive vice president of US payments at TD Bank Group for the past five years, will take up her new role on August 12 this year.

Susan Hawkins, incoming president and chief executive officer, Payments Canada

At TD Bank, Hawkins led the modernization and governance of payment infrastructure and payment products working with teams in the US and Canada.

She served as a board member of Payments Canada from 2020 to 2023 and has been on the board of The Clearing House Payments Corporation since 2019.

Garry Foster, chair of the Payments Canada board of directors, said: “Susan is an expert in the industry and her experience spans domestic and international retail and commercial payment leadership.

“Her passion for payment innovation and proven collaborative leadership will support our drive forward as we modernize Canada’s payment systems.”

“I look forward to leading the Payments Canada team and working collaboratively with our members and stakeholders to continue to build on the momentum of Canada’s payment innovation journey,” said Hawkins, incoming president and chief executive officer of Payments Canada.

“It’s a pivotal time for Payments Canada and the industry with advances to broaden access to Canada’s payment systems through the recent Royal Assent of the Canadian Payments Act changes, which will expand Payments Canada’s membership, and as Payments Canada leads the final phase of a ‘made for Canada’ Real-Time Rail (RTR) payment system.

“I am excited to support Payments Canada to build the future of payments for Canada in partnership with the payment ecosystem.”

Black decided not to renew her term as president and chief executive officer after five years at the organisation and stepped down on March 31, 2024.

Interim co-chief executive officers Kristina Logue and Jude Pinto will resume their roles as chief financial officer and chief delivery officer, respectively, once Hawkins starts.

Hawkins took part in a panel debate at Open Banking Expo Canada, titled ‘Payments Modernization: Forging Ahead with Canada’s Pathway’, to discuss the legislative changes and technological advancements shaping payments.