WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), the global trade association representing the payments technology world, announced today the speakers for the second of two compelling Executive Roundtables at "TRANSACT 14: Powered by ETA." The Processors Executive Roundtable will feature industry leaders Robert Carr, Chairman and CEO of Heartland Payment Systems, Jeffrey Sloan, President and CEO of Global Payments Inc., and Mark Pyke, President of TSYS Merchant Services, sharing their insights with attendees. TRANSACT 14 will take place April 8 - 10, 2014 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and registration is open now at www.electran.org/transact14.

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"The executives on this roundtable possess an unmatched depth of knowledge regarding business opportunities and challenges in the payments industry," said Jason Oxman, CEO of ETA. "These industry luminaries will impart knowledge applicable in the real world to every company in the payments ecosystem. This exciting executive roundtable, together with expanded educational opportunities, limitless industry networking, speakers from every major global payments company, and a nearly sold-out exhibit floor, guarantees that payments and technology professionals attending TRANSACT 14 will gain real, value-added skills and knowledge for their organization."

Robert (Bob) Carr is Chairman and CEO of Heartland Payment Systems. He started his career at Parkland College in Champaign, IL, at the age of 21. After serving as a professor, president of the college's faculty and director of its computer center, he moved to the Bank of Illinois and then started a software and consulting business for small and mid-sized businesses. In 1997, Carr co-founded Heartland Payment Systems with Heartland Bank. Under his guidance, Heartland has been named a FORTUNE 1000 company, climbed from #61 to #5 in the nation and #9 in the world, and is the creator of the The Merchant Bill of Rights. Carr has been a driving force in an industry collaboration movement to thwart cybercriminals ? and help protect business owners, consumers, processors and financial institutions. He was active in the formation of the Payments Processor Information Sharing Council (PPISC) and served as chair of its steering committee.

Jeffrey S. Sloan is the President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Global Payments Inc., one of the largest worldwide providers of payment solutions. He is a decisive leader with deep industry knowledge and nearly 20 years of experience in financial services. Sloan joined Global Payments as President in 2010 and became Chief Executive Officer in October 2013. Prior to joining Global Payments, Sloan was a partner and the worldwide head of the Financial Technology Group in New York for Goldman, Sachs & Co. At Goldman Sachs, he pioneered the development of the firm's payments practice in investment banking, where he led many of the landmark transactions in payments. Sloan is a Trustee of Pace Academy and serves on the boards of FleetCor Technologies, Inc., Camp Twin Lakes and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He is also a board member of the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA), serves on the ETA's Finance Committee and is the Chairman of the ETA's Industry Relations Committee.

Mark Pyke is President of TSYS Merchant Services. He uses his extensive banking and financial expertise to generate strong business results for TSYS. Serving on the TSYS management committee, he brings more than 25 years of payments and financial services experience to the company. Prior to joining TSYS, Pyke served as president of Bank of America Merchant Services. He also previously held the title of chief operating officer and executive vice president for National Processing Company, and served as vice president and chief credit officer of NaBANCO Merchant Services -- a division of First Data Corporation -- along with a variety of other positions in the payments and financial services industries.

With a newly expanded education and conference schedule, speakers from the world's top payments and technology companies, a 95% sold-out exhibit floor, and 4,000 attendees from 1,000 companies representing 24 countries, TRANSACT 14 is the world's gathering place to make connections with the biggest players in payments. TRANSACT 14 includes an expanded selection of educational opportunities with 7 conference tracks, increased trade show floor hours, and unlimited industry networking opportunities. TRANSACT 14 will offer three full days of programming, culminating in the biggest networking party in payments, the TRANSACT Party at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. These enhancements have been designed to showcase technical innovations in payments, provide ramp-up training for those new to payments, and provide a stage for networking and partnerships.

For more information about TRANSACT or to register today, visit www.electran.org/transact14. For media inquiries, contact Meghan Cieslak at 202-677-7406, or meghan.cieslak@electran.org.

About ETA

As the only organization leading and representing the payments technology industry, ETA offers cutting edge news and information, facilitates business connections and growth, provides a standard of industry certification, and advocates on issues critical to their members' success. ETA's more than 500 members represent over $4 trillion in annual payments processed in the U.S.

Contact: Meghan Cieslak, 202.677.7406, meghan.cieslak@electran.org

SOURCE ETA