Kevin Akerman, the new VP of Global Strategic Initiatives at Fidel, discusses his transition from Visa to Fidel and his focus on leveraging partnerships for growth. Having spent 11 years at Visa, where he signed the first commercial agreement between Fidel and Visa, Akerman brings extensive experience in building enterprise relationships and product expertise across various sectors. He expresses enthusiasm about Fidel's agility in the fintech space and aims to drive revenue and expand market presence by forming strategic partnerships and developing new products. Akerman highlights the importance of partnerships in the fast-paced payments and tech industries, emphasizing that collaboration with fintechs is essential for large companies to stay competitive. As he settles into his role, Akerman's main focus is on scaling Fidel's operations to meet the demand from global partners interested in utilizing Fidel's APIs in innovative ways.