Fintech company Sightline Payments announced it has appointed five new executives to its senior leadership team.
John Gronen joins Sightline as chief financial officer, while Jennifer Carleton will serve as the company’s chief legal officer. Through its recent $100 million funding round announced on April 1, Sightline Payments has also appointed Muriel Lotto as chief marketing officer, while Katrina Sevier will serve as its chief people officer and Felicia Gassen will be chief of staff.
The executive appointments strengthen Sightline Payments’ leadership as the company scales to support rapid growth and customer demand.
“We are pleased to welcome John, Jennifer, Muriel, Felicia and Katrina to Sightline Payments,” said company CEO Joe Pappano. “The collective expertise and proven track record that they bring from working with some of the world’s most recognized companies will play an instrumental role in managing the company’s hyper-growth and expansion.
“In the near and long term, we plan to invest significant capital in recruiting diverse and expert talent to drive key Sightline priorities around market growth and innovation. Our goal is to have the most talented and diverse team in the gaming and payments industries.”
Gronen, as CFO for Sightline, will oversee all finance operations including banking, treasury, budgeting and reporting. He recently served as CFO for payments processor VPay, Inc. and head of operations for VCE, a subsidiary of EMC, Cisco Systems and VMWare. Previously, he held senior finance and accounting roles with Technisource, Alltel and Delta Trust and Bank.
Gronen will also play key roles for Sightline in M&A and fundraising in support of the Company’s high-octane organic and inorganic growth strategies.
Carleton joins Sightline having spent her entire legal career in the gaming sector. She was in-house counsel for an Indian casino and for the last 14 years was an adviser to some of the premier public and private gaming and investment companies in the world.
Working in gaming for the past two decades has enabled Carleton to develop a unique expertise in payments, mobile, internet and sports gaming, as well as an insider’s familiarity with the unique issues that arise when technology and regulation intersect. She is helping to establish an advanced Indian law and advanced gaming curriculum at the Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas through her teaching at the law school and her work with the Dean’s Advisory Council.
Carleton also dedicates a substantial amount of time to professional development and corporate philanthropy within her community. She is currently the chair of the Tyler Robinson Foundation, the charitable arm of the Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons, dedicated to raising funds for pediatric cancer families.
Lotto brings over 25 years in international marketing to her new role as Sightline Payments’ chief marketing officer. Lotto has worked in France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and in the United States at leading companies including Nestle, Unilever, Royal & SunAlliance, Bupa and Western Union.
Lotto will lead transformative marketing strategies across audience definition and targeting, customer journeys, messaging, and media mix optimization. In her role, she will drive brand awareness and commercial results through public relations, creative, and advertising partners.
Sevier brings expertise around the ever-changing organizational landscape of culture and talent to the role of chief people officer. She will be tasked with growing Sightline Payments’ team, which will double in size this year.
Prior to Sightline Payments, Sevier led comprehensive talent strategies delivering growth and implementing change across global organizations in the financial services, technology, media, and advertising industries including Western Union and IPG Mediabrands.
A steadfast believer that the employee and customer experiences are connected, Sevier will build and implement the company’s talent plan to support business growth.
Gassen has been appointed chief of staff to CEO Pappano and the executive leadership team. She is the former executive director of Global Gaming Women, where she managed the executive board of directors, committees, sponsorship and global membership.
Previously, her work included the management of research, grants and education programs in the fields of bioengineering, biotechnology, and bioinformatics. Gassen strongly believes in collaboration, amplifying voices and building connections with people across disciplines. She attended both the University of California, Berkeley and University of Nevada, Las Vegas and holds a BFA in fine art and art history.
