BOARD ADVISOR | Catherine A. Allen

Catherine A. Allen is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Santa Fe Group. For 30 years, Catherine Allen has been an outstanding leader in technology strategy and financial services and a luminary in business innovation. Catherine has won accolades from industry, government, academia, business groups and the press for her success in fostering innovation, promoting new technologies, and bringing stakeholders together to address common challenges.

In 2007, Catherine stepped down from her role as the founding CEO of the financial services industry consortium BITS after a decade of service. During her tenure, Catherine worked closely with CEOs, CIOs and executives at the nation's largest financial institutions on strategic issues facing the financial services industry, from payments strategies to risk management. BITS' accomplishments under Catherine's leadership include creating best practices in more than 30 areas of financial services management, facilitating the industry's transition from paper to electronic payments, and creating a trusted forum in which corporate leaders could speak candidly about critical challenges in a noncompetitive environment.

Catherine established The Santa Fe Group in 1996, and soon afterward the company became a strategic partner to BITS. The Santa Fe Group specializes in briefings to C-level executives and boards of directors at financial institutions and other critical infrastructure companies, and provides management for strategic industry and institutional projects.

Catherine's roots in financial services and technology run deep. She has served in several senior executive positions at Citicorp in the Retail, Bankcards, and Corporate Technology divisions. She represented Citibank as founding chair and president of the multiple industry-based Smart Card Forum. Prior to joining Citibank, Catherine served as director of corporate planning for Dun and Bradstreet, where she created and chaired the Electronic Yellow Pages Association. Catherine was also a consultant to CBS, Inc. on new technologies and international trade.

Catherine is a sought-after expert on a range of issues. She was named one of 16 "unsung heroes and rising stars" in the country by Fast Company magazine. She has appeared on CNN, ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS's "This Morning" and "Eye on America," MSNBC, NBC News and NBC's "Dateline," and PBS's "Nightly Business News." Catherine is quoted frequently in major national media outlets as well as in a range of industry publications. Additionally, she is co-editor and author of two books on business innovation strategy.

Catherine sits on the boards of Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Singlepoint, LLC and Hudson Partners, LLP. Catherine is chair of the Advisory Council for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. In 2007 Catherine was honored by US Banker magazine with the Marion O. Sandler Award for lifetime achievement in financial services. She is also the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Missouri, recognizing her professional achievements in financial services and technology.