Troy Carrothers joined the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) as COO in 2025, focusing on meaningful progress in the payments ecosystem. He has a strong history with MAG, having served as Director, Vice-Chair, and Chair of the Board, bringing deep expertise to the organization. With over two decades in payments and financial services, he has positively impacted various sectors. As President and CEO of TAC Consulting Services, he provided strategic guidance to merchants, fintech startups, and payment processors. Previously, he spent 18 years at Kohl’s, leading credit and payments operations. Early in his career, he held leadership roles at Citigroup and Fidelity Investments, enhancing his understanding of the payments landscape.

Alex Johnson is the founder of Fintech Takes, a media brand that sits at the intersection of financial services, technology, and public policy, and has been working in the financial services and fintech industry for 15+ years. As well as publishing a Fintech Takes newsletter since 2019, Alex has worked at FICO, Mercator Advisory Group, and Cornerstone Advisors

Dean Nolan has over 25 years of experience in the financial services sector, specializing in payments and leadership roles in strategy, product management, and software development. Before joining Finzly, he served as a Managing Director in SRM’s commercial payments practice. Earlier roles include the Vice President of Treasury Management at Fifth Third Bank, overseeing Faster Payments, Commercial Card, and Merchant Services, Senior Product Manager at Wells Fargo and Bank of America, focusing on various payment solutions, and a Product Sales Leader at MasterCard and First Data. He currently chairs the Instant Payment API workgroup at the US Faster Payments Council and has previously led the RTP Network Operations committee. Dean holds an MBA from Marquette University and an MA in Marketing & Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.