Spotlight on an ETA CPP: Diane Driscoll, US Alliance Group

Diane Driscoll, Director of Compliance and Risk, US Alliance Group, Inc. (USAG)

ETA has established the bar of excellence within the payments industry through its impact on shaping governmental policies, educational offerings, and our highly regarded ETA Certified Payments Professional (ETA CPP) program. These six letters can have a positive impact on your career. The ETA CPP certification program was created to distinguish professionals who demonstrate a vast knowledge and understanding of their profession, a commitment to professionalism, and high integrity in the industry.

Diane Driscoll earned her ETA CPP designation in 2016 and has been actively chairing our CPP Credentialing Committee for the past few years. Diane started her payments career in May 2015 in an entry-level quality control position at USAG. After being promoted to Supervisor of Quality Control (Pre-Underwriting), she quickly moved up the ranks and was promoted to manager in November 2016. She applied and passed her ETA CPP exam in December 2016 and has been actively maintaining her credential through various continuing education courses, events, and committees. She was promoted to Director of Compliance and Risk in March 2021 and oversees the Underwriting and Risk Department as well as Compliance. Diane’s other distinctions as an ETA CPP include the following:

• ETA Young Payments Professional (ETA YPP) Scholar Class of 2019
• ETA 40 Under 40 honoree of 2020
• Speaker at ETA TRANSACT 2019

Here is why Diane has been such a strong advocate for the ETA CPP.

Q. Who should become certified?
A. Anyone within the payments Industry should become ETA CPP Certified!

Q. Why should you become certified?
A. There are several reasons to become an ETA CPP certified individual. It impacts various areas of a payment professional:

• Self
  • Payments knowledge development
  • Validation of/proven knowledge of payments
  • Career advancement and distinction from peers
• Payments Professional
  • Designation of expertise within payments and certified payments professional
• Company
  • Brand/reputation building of payments professional best practices
  • Recognition as competent employee based on being tops in payments knowledge and trends in this ever-changing industry
  • Competitive edge

Q. Why does certification matter?
A. Certification matters because it sets the industry standard level higher than basic knowledge and establishes a way to know you are working with an individual who’s proven to have higher standards and more expertise in their field.

Q. Can you describe an instance when being a CPP gave you the competitive edge over another individual or organization?
A. I had a competitive edge when it came to securing an interview at most, if not all, the roles I had applied for when I was seeking my next opportunity.

My role within payments is in underwriting/risk compliance and not sales, and therefore I don’t compete with other organization sales individuals. I do, however, get approached by individuals asking for my expertise or what the credentials mean, which is a great networking starter!

Q. In what ways has the CPP challenged your knowledge of the payments ecosystem?
A. As an individual who didn’t have any previous knowledge of the payments industry — other then I went to the store and presented this plastic card to the machine and somehow it communicated to my bank and took my money — it challenges me to gain an understanding of the historical and current trends while anticipating future trends within the payments ecosystem to gain the knowledge needed to become certified.

Coming from a completely different business environment into the payments industry and understanding all the dynamics that encompass payments requires one to have a holistic knowledge in order to grasp the full scope and become a leading expert.

Q. In what ways have you been able to market yourself as a CPP?
A. I have incorporated being a Certified Payment Professional in my brand and on my professional social media sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram), on my business/personal cards, as well as on my email signature line.

Q. What advice would you give someone beginning their career in the payments industry?
A. I would advise those who are beginning their career within the payments industry to be very eager to learn as much as they can and have the flexibility to adapt or like change. The payments industry is very dynamic and constantly evolving, which makes it an industry where you never do the same thing and get bored. Get ready for an exciting career ride!