Our Companies

Brian Mason

• Guest Speaker, American Express Vice President of Strategic Alliances
• PayEm

Brian Mason is Vice President, Strategic Alliances, within the Global Commercial Services (B2B) division of American Express. In the 14+ years he has been at AmEx, Brian has brought creativity, ingenuity, and rigor to the creation and growth of successful alliances in the U.S. and abroad that drive profits and revenue. He is passionate about reinventing B2B payments to drive innovation and bring about more connected customer experiences.

Prior to American Express, Brian served in executive roles in several software companies, including Dayforce and Sage. He obtained his BS in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.

Chris Wallace

• Solutions Consultant
• PayEm

Chris delivers an exceptional customer experience by first seeking to understand his customers and their business challenges and goals, then clearly communicating how PayEm's platform and technologies can help provide budget management solutions. He leverages over a decade of experience in corporate finance and fintech solutions engineering.

Itamar Jobani

• Co-Founder and CEO
• PayEm

PayEm Co-Founder and CEO Itamar Jobani began his professional career as a fine artist. As part of his work, he sculpted and exhibited in leading museums and galleries in the U.S. In 2014, he established a 3D printing start-up and two years later returned to Israel to join Matrix and FDNA as a developer.

In 2019, Jobani co-founded PayEm. PayEm is a VC-backed fintech company offering a versatile, user-friendly platform that streamlines finance and procurement with customizable workflows, deep insights, and seamless integrations, delivering agility, transparency, and control across diverse industries.

Itamar Jobani holds a bachelor’s degree in film and philosophy from Tel Aviv University and a master’s degree in arts from the Pr... Read more

Chris E. Ortega

• CEO and fractional CFO at Fresh FP&A
• PayEm

Chris E. Ortega is the CEO and fractional CFO at Fresh FP&A, a company he founded in 2022 after 20 years of executive finance experience in various industries and roles. As a CFO expert, he helps small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) navigate financial complexities, improve financial predictability, and achieve strategic growth.

Keren Gertzman

• Product Manager at PayEm
• PayEm

Keren Gertzman is a finance professional with extensive experience in treasury systems and financial management. She began her career in FP&A at BlackBerry before moving to the Treasury Department as Manager of Treasury Systems. In 2012, Keren relocated to Israel, joining Teva Pharmaceuticals, where she held key roles, including Senior Director of Treasury Systems and Core Processes.

In 2022, Keren transitioned to PayEm as a Product Manager, specializing in integrations, budgeting, and credit card solutions. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a CFA charter holder.

Jorge Lluch

• COO and Co-founder of Abacum
• PayEm

Jorge Lluch is the COO and Co-founder of Abacum, an FP&A Solution designed for finance teams.

With a foundation in engineering, Jorge began his career at the European Space Agency. He later transitioned into management consulting and investment banking, accumulating over a decade of experience as CFO and COO in high-growth startups. Collaborating closely with visionary founders, Jorge developed a deep understanding of the operational and financial challenges faced by scaling companies. It was during this time that he felt a strong desire to pursue entrepreneurship himself.

For the past few years, he has been dedicated to building Abacum alongside his co-founder and friend, Julio Martínez—a tool designed to address the fr... Read more