Linda Chastain
Napa,CA
Summary
Payments and software-partner executive with 20+ years scaling ISV ecosystems, launching enterprise payment products, and driving merchant and consumer adoption.
Known for building reputable partner-enablement frameworks, leading cross-functional launches, and commercializing relationships that fuel growth, integration scale, and acquisition outcomes.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Director — Strategic Partnerships, ISV Channel Growth & Product Commercialization
Bluefin Payment Systems
Atlanta, USA
05.2013 - Current
- Built and scaled Bluefin’s ISV partner ecosystem, driving 100+ net-new software partnerships and product implementations.
- Designed and operationalized partner-enablement and onboarding frameworks supporting thousands of P2PE-secured payment devices.
- Led cross-functional launches spanning product, engineering, compliance, security, and partner activation.
- Directed partner commercialization strategy to accelerate revenue adoption across integrated platforms and enterprise verticals.
Director — Business Development & ISV Partnerships
Accelerated Payment Technologies → Global Payments
Henderson, USA
05.2010 - 05.2013
- Drove rapid channel expansion through 300+ strategic ISV, developer, and technology partnerships.
- Established scalable partner-integration strategy that accelerated merchant software enablement.
- Partnership network scale and commercialization success resulted in a $400MM+ acquisition exit by Global Payments.
VP — Marketing & Business Development Consulting
Consultants 2 Business
Remote
07.2007 - 05.2010
- Provided strategic consulting to Fintech and payments companies including Merchant e-Solutions and Verifi, Inc.
- Delivered execution in global strategic marketing, risk and fraud awareness, e-commerce strategy, and partnership-alliance expansion.
- Built commercialization motions and partner-growth strategy for emerging payments platforms.
VP — Marketing & Business Development
WineCountry.com
Napa, USA
06.2006 - 07.2007
- Directed marketing and business-development strategy to expand e-commerce capabilities and niche consumer-portal growth.
- Led strategic planning around 2006-2007 growth initiatives with improved digital-merchant enablement.
VP — Marketing & Product Authentication Strategy (Ultrasonic Biometrics)
Ultra-Scan Corporation
Amherst, USA
01.2003 - 06.2004
- Introduced advanced ultrasonic biometric authentication into consumer-facing markets.
- Led product-commercialization strategy around emerging identity-authentication business case for electronic payments.
VP — Marketing & Merchant/Consumer Biometric Payments Rollout
Indivos Corporation — PayByTouch
Oakland, USA
01.2001 - 01.2003
- Conceived and launched turnkey merchant + consumer biometric payments deployment framework.
- Supported pilots with McDonald’s, Blockbuster, supermarkets, restaurants, and entertainment merchants.
- Designed consumer-adoption and enrollment strategy resulting in 40%+ active usage penetration during merchant pilots.
- Led industry alliance participation with ETA, NRF, FMI, DMA, NACHA, FSTC, scaling awareness and adoption.
- Established global press authority for authentication innovation with 100+ domestic and 24+ international market reach.
Director — Market Development & Merchant Acceptance
Visa USA, Inc.
Foster City, USA
01.1994 - 01.2000
- Led strategic merchant alliances to stimulate Visa card usage and scale acceptance of new payment products.
- Built and managed marketing programs emphasizing brand acceptance, e-commerce enablement, sponsorship activation, PR, cross-promotion, and cost control.
- Served as product-marketing liaison aligning merchant acceptance initiatives with Visa’s consumer-product strategy.
- Created adoption programs with national publishers (Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, NYT, USA Today) to scale consumer and industry engagement.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business
Ball State University
Muncie, IndianaSkills
- Strategic partnerships
- Business development
- Market strategy development
- Customer relationship management
- Partnerships and alliances
Accomplishments
- Led 300+ ISV, developer, and technology partnerships, directly contributing to a $400MM+ acquisition by Global Payments.
- Grew Bluefin’s ISV partner channel by 100+ integrated software partners, unlocking new revenue streams through structured onboarding and commercialization strategy.
- Led payment-security product launches enabling thousands of partner-deployed payment devices and enterprise integrations.
- Architected biometric payments adoption program that delivered 40%+ active consumer usage penetration during merchant pilots.
- Established global authority in authentication innovation, earning top-tier press coverage across Forbes, NYT, USA Today, AP, NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR, 100+ domestic and 24+ international markets.
- Directed Visa merchant acceptance strategy across 7 major verticals, aligning product, brand, sponsorship, and publisher alliance adoption programs.
Board And Industry Leadership
American Marketing Association, Member, National Restaurant Association, Marketing Committee, American Hotel Association, Sales & Marketing Committee, ASTA, Marketing Committee, Travel Industry America, Marketing Committee, NRF, Shop.org, ETA, FMI, NACHA, DMA, Internet Retailer
Timeline
Director — Strategic Partnerships, ISV Channel Growth & Product Commercialization
Bluefin Payment Systems
05.2013 - Current
Director — Business Development & ISV Partnerships
Accelerated Payment Technologies → Global Payments
05.2010 - 05.2013
VP — Marketing & Business Development Consulting
Consultants 2 Business
07.2007 - 05.2010
VP — Marketing & Business Development
WineCountry.com
06.2006 - 07.2007
VP — Marketing & Product Authentication Strategy (Ultrasonic Biometrics)
Ultra-Scan Corporation
01.2003 - 06.2004
VP — Marketing & Merchant/Consumer Biometric Payments Rollout
Indivos Corporation — PayByTouch
01.2001 - 01.2003
Director — Market Development & Merchant Acceptance
Visa USA, Inc.
01.1994 - 01.2000
Bachelor of Science - Business
Ball State University