Authenticity & Empathy: Séamus Smith, Chief Executive Officer JDX Consulting with Jonathan Bowman-Perks MBE

161. Séamus Smith, Chief Executive Officer JDX Consulting – Ex Sage Group Plc Global head, Payments & Banking. Alumnus of American Express & GE Capital.

Séamus is an experienced leader of global payments, banking & fintech businesses, and has been a keen student of leadership development since the early part of his career. 

His formative experience was gained at the Automobile Association in financial services, marketing and operations. He then joined the retail finance business of GE Capital, serving on the operating board of the UK business in a senior commercial leadership role. He spent seven years at American Express latterly as Vice President & General Manager Europe, Middle East & Africa. He was Managing Director at PayPoint plc from 2011-2015 and then became CEO of Sage Pay, a payment processing business which was successfully sold to a subsidiary of US Bank in 2020. In his current role as CEO of JDX Consulting which he assumed in September 2020, he leads a specialist global consulting business focussed on solutions for investment banks, financial market infrastructure and technology enablement.  

In parallel with his professional career, Séamus served for 13 years in the UK Army Reserves as an infantry officer, rising to the rank of Major. He holds a MBA from Henley Management College and in 2018, was named in the Financial Times ‘Top 50 global male champions of women in business’ listing. He was a Trustee and Treasurer at Windsor Leadership, a leadership development organisation between 2012-2018. He has supported a number of charities via a series of challenges including running the ‘Two Oceans’ ultramarathon in South Africa for the City of London Lord Mayors Appeal, climbing Mont Blanc in 2012 for Help for Heroes and mountain biking from Vietnam to Cambodia for Mines Awareness Group in 2015. In his spare time he enjoys running, tennis, most mountain activities and playing the guitar. He is married with two teenage children and lives in Surrey. 

His leadership tips: ‘Authenticity – know yourself, be yourself, improve yourself’. ‘Empathy – if we can see ourselves as others see us, we will be better leaders for the experience.’