Leslie Pearce

Leslie Pearce
Senior Vice President, Inside Sales

Education: Bachelor’s degree, electrical engineering, Northwestern University; Master’s degree, business, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Company Name: Fiserv, Inc.
Industry: Payments & financial services technology
Company CEO: Frank Bisignano
Company Headquarters Location: Brookfield, Wisconsin
Number of Employees: Approximately 44,000 worldwide
Your Location (if different from above): Marietta, Georgia
Words you live by: Do exactly what you say you are going to do, and do it with excellence.
Who is your personal hero? Mae Jemison, the first black woman to travel into space
What book are you reading? Biased by Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt; The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
What was your first job: Mainframe Systems Engineer at IBM
Favorite charity: Black Girls Code
Interests: Reading (I belong to two book clubs), yoga and scrapbooking (currently making a family recipe book)
Family: Married for 26 years; one daughter, PHD candidate; one son, college sophomore; both at Princeton University

Choosing to Do Good

This year is a year like no other. It has impacted all of us in ways that will shape how we work, how we treat one another, and how we do well while doing good.

I have the honor of leading an exceptional group of dedicated, talented people. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our customary work environment meant we were in the office every day, working hard and celebrating our collective success. As we have now pivoted to a work-from-home environment, I am finding new ways to not only drive business results, but also to support, motivate, and engage each of the members of my team. When we approach our business objectives with a focus on our clients and our employees and by leveraging innovation and technology, we will achieve success.

There is a very dire prediction that over 40 percent of black-owned small businesses will cease to exist by the end of this year. We know that small businesses are the backbone of our communities, each contributing to the economic growth of those communities. I am very proud to belong to a company that believes corporations can serve as platforms to do good, and is working to help these businesses not only survive, but thrive.

We are executing three key initiatives, which I have the privilege of leading. The first provides monetary support. We have committed to give $10 million in the form of grants to black- and minority-owned small businesses. Second, we have committed to providing these businesses with knowledge and education on key topics for sustained success. As a leader in fintech, our company is uniquely qualified to provide expertise on financial literacy, e-commerce (moving a business from storefront to web front), and contactless payments (how to safely accept credit card payments in a secure, fast, convenient, and socially distanced manner). Third, we are working with community partners to provide access to resources, education, and mentoring.

This year in particular has seen our society become increasingly polarized. People are becoming defined by their political viewpoints, but, as has always been the case, there is more that unites us than divides us. We should strive to live in a world where diversity is valued, and all points of view are appreciated. We should be able to respectfully listen and contribute for the betterment of us all.