ST. PETERSBURG, FL, October 14th, 2026, FinanceWire
The payments consulting firm introduces specialized PCI assessment and governance services, helping fintech companies move beyond annual compliance exercises toward continuous program management.
Payments Therapist, a specialized payments consulting firm, announces the appointment of former FIS Vice President and PCI Security Standards Council Board Advisor Wes Shattler as its Senior Partner, PCI Services, expanding the firm’s expertise in payment security, compliance, and operational governance.
Shattler’s appointment coincides with the introduction of two specialized service offerings: PCI Governance as a Service and Handling Your First PCI Assessment. The programs help fintech companies, payment facilitators (PayFacs), independent software vendors (ISVs), and registered independent sales organizations (ISOs) navigate increasingly complex PCI requirements with experienced leadership and hands-on operational support.
Bringing Enterprise-Level Experience to PCI Compliance
With 25 years of cybersecurity and risk leadership, Wes Shattler has led the world’s largest third-party assurance and certification portfolio, supporting more than 500 PCI assessments and compliance initiatives. He has served three consecutive terms on the PCI SSC Board of Advisors and participated in the PCI SSC Technology Roadmap Guidance Group, helping shape the evolution of payment security standards worldwide.
Shattler holds CISSP, CISA, CRISC, CGEIT, and CDPSE certifications and is widely recognized for his expertise in cybersecurity, governance, compliance, risk management, and data privacy. At Payments Therapist, he will help organizations establish effective PCI programs, navigate formal assessments, coordinate internal stakeholders, and maintain the operational discipline necessary to support ongoing compliance.
“Wes brings the kind of experience that makes a meaningful difference when organizations are dealing with complex payments and compliance challenges,” says Jason Kafer, founder of Payments Therapist. “He understands how these requirements translate into real operational responsibilities, and his addition allows us to provide clients with a much more comprehensive approach to PCI. His experience helping shape industry standards and leading large-scale assurance programs gives our clients access to a level of expertise that is rarely available in the market.”
Introducing PCI Governance as a Service
A central component of the expanded practice is PCI Governance as a Service, an ongoing engagement model designed to help organizations maintain ownership, accountability, and year-round compliance readiness.
Policies must remain current, evidence must be organized, control owners must understand their responsibilities, and changes to technology, vendors, and business operations must be evaluated for their potential impact on PCI scope.
Payments Therapist’s PCI Governance as a Service offering provides experienced program leadership to coordinate these activities, maintain visibility into outstanding requirements, and help organizations establish a sustainable compliance framework.
“PCI compliance is not something organizations should have to rebuild every year,” says Shattler. “The real challenge is maintaining the people, processes, documentation, and accountability that support compliance between assessments. Our approach is designed to give businesses that continuity while allowing their internal teams to focus on their core responsibilities.”
Supporting Organizations Through Their First PCI Assessment
Alongside its ongoing governance offering, Payments Therapist is introducing Handling Your First PCI Assessment, a specialized program for organizations preparing to navigate formal PCI validation for the first time.
The service provides hands-on guidance throughout the assessment process, including scope review, readiness evaluations, documentation preparation, evidence organization, stakeholder coordination, and communication with Qualified Security Assessors (QSAs).
The two offerings complement one another, allowing organizations to establish an initial compliance framework and maintain it through ongoing governance.
A Different Approach to Payments Consulting
Founded by Jason Kafer, Payments Therapist helps businesses address complex challenges across payment strategy, infrastructure, technology, security, compliance, risk, and operations.
With its expanded PCI services, Payments Therapist aims to help organizations establish stronger internal accountability, reduce avoidable assessment-related disruption, and integrate compliance responsibilities into everyday business operations.
For more information about Payments Therapist and its services, visit https://www.paymentstherapist.com/.
About Payments Therapist
Payments Therapist is a specialized payments consulting firm that helps fintech companies, financial institutions, payment facilitators, independent software vendors, processors, and complex merchants diagnose and solve challenging payments problems. The firm provides senior-led expertise across payment strategy, infrastructure, security, compliance, risk, operations, technology, and revenue, helping organizations navigate complex situations through practical, hands-on solutions.