The Celero Commerce executive team established the Michael P. Duffy Leadership Award in 2019 as a way to honor those who go above and beyond in their leadership, dedication, and teamwork. Today, we’re so proud to announce the 2020 fourth quarter recipient of this award: Vice President of Bank Relationships, Kristia Poppe.
“Kristia Poppe is not only a huge asset to our financial institution partners, but she’s also a huge asset to all of our colleagues,” said Jim Harris, President of Celero’s Partnership Channel. “Her skill in collaborating with others and leading by example is unmatched. We’re incredibly grateful to have her represent the Celero brand.”
Celero’s executive team created the Michael P. Duffy Leadership Award in honor of fintech powerhouse Michael Duffy, who was also a mentor to many of Celero’s leaders earlier in their careers. The Duffy Award is based on peer nominations and awarded to those who exhibit both elite performance and core company values like selflessness and teamwork.
“I had high expectations for Kristia from the beginning,” said CEO Kevin Jones, “but she has surpassed every single one. Her approach to working with our bank partners is based on a genuine drive to help others, which is exactly what I envisioned when I started Celero.”
Kristia will be invited to join other Duffy Award winners at the company’s first Leadership Summit, to be held in the spring of 2021 at the Celero headquarters in Nashville. This annual event sees leaders across the organization come together to talk strategy, fintech trends, and our market position while celebrating shared accomplishments and crafting the next generation of company leaders. The 2021 summit will include the four quarterly Duffy award recipients of 2020 and the top 10 percent of performers in other departments. It won’t be all business, either — in fact, there’s some extra special Nashville entertainment in the works.
Kristia’s name will be engraved on a commemorative Duffy Award plaque to follow in the tradition of previous winners Nicole Becher, Abigail Lucier, Karo Torosyan, and Spencer Ellis at Celero’s corporate offices.
“It’s our people who make Celero what it is,” said Jim Harris, “and people like Kristia Poppe set the tone for this to be a fun, challenging, and uplifting work environment. You come across a lot of smart people in fintech, but it’s not every day that you come across someone as kind, helpful, and humble as Kristia.”
The next Duffy Award winner will be named in April of 2021.