Michael Saunders

Michael Saunders currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Avenue One since January 2025. Previously, Michael held the role of GM for Credit in Europe at Plaid from April 2022 to January 2025, and acted as Executive in Residence/Advisor at Arbor Ventures during 2022. As Chief Executive Officer at ZaloPay from 2021 to 2022, Michael led the company prior to a notable tenure at Amazon from 2015 to 2021, which included various leadership positions in payment products and operations. Earlier in the career, Michael was Managing Director of Digital Consumer Payments at Barclaycard from 2011 to 2015, earning multiple industry awards for innovation. Michael's extensive background includes significant roles at American Express, IBM, and Wit Capital Corporation, alongside a solid educational foundation with an MBA from Roberto C. Goizueta Business School at Emory University and a BA from Georgetown University.