Prominent Fintech Industry Leader Joins Top Ranks at Strategic Advisory Firm
Rachel Landrum, notable financial technology advisor and executive serving regional and community financial institutions, has joined the ownership team at Arriba Advisors, an advisory firm that provides strategy enablement and cost alignment to clients on a variety of fintech projects.
“Rachel has always set herself apart in the technology industry as a client-focused relationship builder”
Established in 2016, Arriba Advisors has worked with community banks and credit unions nationwide to help them understand and evaluate their technology options to accomplish strategic goals. The firm has completed more than 600 vendor/technology evaluations and negotiated more than 1,500 contracts.
George McGourty and Tom Russell, co-founders and partners of Arriba Advisors, said Landrum’s vast experience and credibility enhance the firm’s ability to enable community institutions through technology—which helped make Landrum their top choice as the partner to join the firm’s client-centric culture.
“She has done it all in the industry, and her background as a leader is impeccable,” said Russell. “As a partner, she has high expectations and aspirations. She is laser-focused on our clients, and she is a masterful negotiator on their behalf.”
Landrum joined Arriba Advisors as a strategic advisor in 2017. After working with the Arriba Advisors team for three years, Landrum said she knew it was time to go all in, and joined the firm’s partnership in 2020. Her wealth of industry knowledge and more than 25 years of experience not only benefit the firm’s clients, but also add a solid layer of expertise and leadership to the partnership core.
As a strategic advisor and partner, Landrum has worked closely with financial institutions around the country to improve their technology edge and establish a competitive advantage. One of those institutions is VeraBank in Henderson, Texas.
Brad Tidwell, president and CEO of VeraBank and current chairman of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT), said he contacted Landrum immediately when he needed help.
“I have known Rachel for many years, and the positivity of our past business dealings led me to engage her and the team at Arriba Advisors when we needed advice and negotiations on a major RFP and subsequent contracts,” said Tidwell. “The entire Arriba team did a great job, and we now consider Arriba exclusively for this type of work. We have since engaged them for additional help, and I am pleased to say that I can give Rachel and her team my highest recommendation.”
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In July 2000, Landrum was named president of Orlando-based Kirchman Corp., a developer of banking software named for Kenneth Kirchman, a fintech pioneer whose early software was used to automate millions of commercial bank transactions. Landrum was the first person to hold the position at Kirchman, and the first female president and CEO of a core financial technology provider.
Later, Landrum served as an executive vice president and division president at Metavante, a provider of financial technology services and software, which acquired Kirchman Corp. in 2004.
Frank Martire, executive chairman at NCR and former president and CEO of Metavante, said Landrum’s fintech experience and industry foresight make her an invaluable asset to Arriba Advisors.
“Rachel has always set herself apart in the technology industry as a client-focused relationship builder,” said Martire. “She believes in always doing the right thing to ensure that the needs of the client are always in the forefront. I have had the distinct honor to work alongside Rachel for many years and watched her truly make a difference in the fintech industry for customers, employees and shareholders.”
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In 2009, Landrum joined FIS, a Fortune 500 financial services technology company, as executive vice president and general manager, working with the company’s core banking, lending and customer relationship management software solutions.
Landrum said she is proud of blazing a trail for female fintech executives and looks forward to continuing her work as a leader and advocate for community financial institutions as a partner at Arriba Advisors.
“My goal is to be in the best possible seat to help community financial institutions enable their strategies and serve their communities and markets by creating winning outcomes with technology,” said Landrum. “To do that with only the best of the best professionals on my team was my top requirement.”
