AI Transformation in Payments with Martynas Kairys | Innovantage podcast #32

Episode notes

In this episode of the Innovantage Podcast, Martynas Kairys — General Manager at ZEDGE (formerly Director of AI Strategy & Development at Shift4 ), AI-driven growth leader, and international keynote speaker — shares how to turn AI from scattered experiments into an operational advantage across a complex, regulated business. With 20+ years across military, logistics, real estate, investment banking, and tech, Martynas blends strategy with sleeves-rolled-up execution. We unpack the AI vision he led at Shift4, global scale, compliance-by-design, and how those lessons translate to ZEDGE and beyond, along with a pragmatic playbook for measurable wins. What you’ll learn: ️ How leaders evolve from “AI interest” to an AI operating model ️ Shift4’s AI mission: payments innovation, product velocity, and global scale ️ Lessons from M&A scale-ups (incl. Finaro) and what that means for data + AI ️ Building in regulated spaces: PCI DSS, GDPR, and risk-aware experimentation ️ Resource-based learning vs. memorization — upskilling that actually sticks ️ When AI should automate tasks vs.