NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sonata Bank announces it has hired veteran payments and financial technology executive, Glenn Murray, as Director of Sponsor Banking. Murray will build and lead the bank’s sponsor banking (Banking-as-a-Service) program working with fintech companies to bring banking products and services to market. In his new role, Murray will identify the right fintech partners and build a program that is scalable and supported by strong risk management.
He has the right combination of sponsor banking and payments experience to lead our product development priorities with fintech partners. – Wendell Bontrager, CEO, Sonata Bank
Murray brings 20 years of experience in sponsor banking, payments and fintech to the role at Sonata Bank with a track record in developing partnerships, go-to-market strategy and revenue growth. Most recently, he served as Chief Strategy Officer at DreamFi, a Stamford, Connecticut fintech company, where he helped take the venture from stealth to market launch. He set the corporate strategy and operating model, built its early product, marketing operations and business development teams, and secured the vendor and financial services partnerships required to launch.
“We’re excited to welcome Glenn to the team in this newly created role that is foundational to the bank’s growth strategy,” said Wendell Bontrager, CEO, Sonata Bank. “He has the right combination of sponsor banking and payments experience to lead our product development priorities with fintech partners.”
Prior to DreamFi, Murray served as Vice President, Strategic Growth, at Sutton Payments (a division of Sutton Bank), where he led business development, partner management and commercial strategy for the bank’s fastest growing division. He also created its Preferred Partner Program to improve partner onboarding and engagement.
Earlier in his career, Murray gained experience at some of the best-known names in payments. He managed large merchant relationships at PayPal, led go-to-market strategy at Merchant e-Solutions, and held relationship management roles at Capital One and Mastercard. He spent eight years at Discover Financial Services, overseeing a portfolio of card programs that generated more than $20 million in cumulative sales. He launched the Discover Campus Card Program, growing the initiative from a regional pilot to a national program.
Murray earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from DePaul University in Chicago. He also holds a Six Sigma Green Belt certification in process optimization and operational efficiency.
Sonata is an FDIC-chartered bank and a digital-first financial services company led by experienced banking industry leaders. Sonata is a top-ranked commercial lender in Tennessee and ranked fourth nationally. The bank is the #1 fastest-growing bank in deposits in Nashville and provides a full suite of banking products and services for business and personal banking customers in the Middle Tennessee market. In addition, Sonata provides comprehensive solutions for quick service restaurant (QSR) franchisees and their employees across the United States.
