Nuvei Bolsters Executive Leadership Team with New COO, CFO, and CPTO Appointments
By Lauren Towner · 1 July 2026

Quick Summary
Nuvei has appointed Samir Zabaneh as COO, David McLaughlin as CFO, and Eli Rosner as CPTO to accelerate its global fintech leadership. These strategic hires bring over 90 years of combined experience from firms like Fiserv and Blackhawk Network to scale Nuvei’s unified payments infrastructure across 200+ markets.
How is Nuvei Strengthening its Global Fintech Leadership?
Nuvei is consolidating its global operating model by appointing Samir Zabaneh as Chief Operating Officer. Zabaneh, formerly of Fiserv and Global Payments, will unify regional general manager organizations under a single operational banner. This move is designed to enhance operational discipline and governance as the company expands its footprint. Key focus areas include:
- Unifying Compliance and Risk management globally.
- Streamlining Underwriting processes across 53 local acquiring markets.
- Leveraging Zabaneh’s experience as former CEO of TouchBistro to drive merchant-centric growth.
What Role Will the New CFO and CPTO Play in Nuvei’s Expansion?
The appointment of David McLaughlin as CFO and Eli Rosner as CPTO signals a shift toward sustainable margin expansion and AI-driven product development. McLaughlin brings 30 years of expertise from Blackhawk Network to align capital allocation with long-term strategic priorities. Meanwhile, Rosner will spearhead the transition toward an AI-native, agentic enterprise. His background at Finastra and HealthEquity will be critical in:
- Accelerating AI-driven innovation within the core payments platform.
- Managing large-scale cloud transformations for enterprise-grade reliability.
- Optimizing product and engineering execution to support 150+ currencies.
What Success Metrics Define Nuvei’s Current Market Position?
Nuvei continues to demonstrate massive scale, providing infrastructure for every payment through a modular and flexible technology stack. The company currently supports over 720 alternative payment methods, ensuring businesses can succeed in any local market. Notable metrics include:
- Presence in more than 200 markets worldwide.
- Direct local acquiring in 53 markets.
- Support for 150 different currencies through a single integration.
FF NEWS TAKE:
This triple-hire is a massive statement of intent. By pulling seasoned veterans from giants like Fiserv, Blackhawk, and Finastra, Nuvei is signaling that it is no longer just a challenger - it is building a global fintech leadership team capable of managing a Tier-1 financial institution. The focus on "agentic AI" and unified operations suggests Nuvei is preparing for a highly automated, high-margin future that could significantly move the needle in the competitive payments landscape.
Companies in this story: HealthEquity, NCR, Global Payments, Nuvei, Element Fleet Management, Fiserv, Finastra, Blackhawk Network, TouchBistro, First Data, Heartland Payment Systems, Moneris Solutions
People in this story: David McLaughlin, Samir Zabaneh, Eli Rosner, Phil Fayer