Electronic Transactions Association Announces 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees

Chris Lee and Tom Bell to be honored at ETA's Strategic Leadership Forum, September 29 in Naples, Florida

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) today announced that Chris Lee and Tom Bell will be inducted into the ETA Hall of Fame, the association's highest honor. The induction ceremony will take place Tuesday, September 29 at 4:30 p.m. at ETA's Strategic Leadership Forum at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples.

The ETA Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose careers have advanced the payments industry and whose service has strengthened the association and the community it represents. In Chris Lee and Tom Bell, the 2026 class honors two leaders who each spent more than four decades building this industry, and who served it at every step.

"Chris and Tom represent everything this industry does well," said Jodie Kelley, CEO of ETA. "They built businesses that moved payments forward, led with integrity through periods of real change, and invested in the people around them at every stage. Their careers tell the story of this industry, and their service tells the story of their leadership. We are delighted to welcome them both into the ETA Hall of Fame."

Chris Lee's career spans more than 40 years across the payments ecosystem. She joined MasterCard International in 1985 and rose through executive leadership roles at National Processing Company, Bank of America, Worldpay and Moneris.  Chris later served as CEO of private equity owned BillingTree and MarketTime. She had successful exits at both Moneris and BillingTree. She remains an active voice in the industry as an advisor to True Wind Capital. Her commitment to ETA is unmatched: she has served as Board President, held every position on the executive committee, chaired multiple committees, and was named ETA's Volunteer of the Year in 2009.

Tom Bell's four decades of leadership bridge technology, financial services, and payments. A partner at Accenture by 1993, he entered the payments industry as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at First Data, where he led the formation of Bank of America Merchant Services. As CEO, he grew the joint venture's annual revenue from $850 million to $1.2 billion and helped bring innovative products to market. He later led Merchant e-Solutions, founded the advisory firm TPB Advisors, co-founded Maast, an embedded finance company backed by Synovus Bank, and served on ETA's Presidential Advisory Council. Today, Tom continues to shape the industry as an advisor to AlixPartners, Recognize, and The Strawhecker Group.

"The measure of a career in this industry is not only what you build, but who you bring along," Kelley said. "Chris and Tom have spent four decades doing both. We are proud to honor them."

ETA's Strategic Leadership Forum is the premier gathering for senior payments executives, bringing together the industry's leaders for strategic programming and high-value networking. Program and registration details are available at etaslf.com.

About the Electronic Transactions Association

The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) is the world's leading trade association for the payments industry, representing payments and fintech companies in the U.S. and around the world. ETA members make commerce possible, processing approximately $56.75 trillion annually in purchases and P2P payments worldwide. www.electran.org

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SOURCE Electronic Transactions Association (ETA)