Meet our 2024 US ZipSTAR Award winners

We're delighted to announce our annual ZipSTAR award winners for 2024! Each of the winning Zipsters have truly gone above and beyond for their teams and Zip in the US, making incredible contributions in the last 12 months.

These individuals represent many different functions, teams and locations across the US, and were voted for by their fellow Zipsters across a number of award categories, representing Zip's values.

Please join us in celebrating these game-changing Zipsters and take a read of just some of the testimonials their colleagues gave when voting for them :)

🏆 ZipSTAR of the Year: Renamed this year to the Diamond Award, this award recognises an outstanding Zipster who has had an incredible impact on the business throughout the last year. The winning Zipster embodies a customer-first mindset, takes ownership of challenges, values collaboration, and makes a difference in every aspect of their work.

Winner: Amie Siebert, Deputy General Counsel, US

✨”Her leadership and guidance continually inspire growth and career development, empowering the team to reach their full potential and achieve new milestones. She is the true unsung hero of Zip and has stepped up to the plate, shown true grit, own it and customer first mentality!”

🏆 Change the Game Award: This award celebrates a game-changing Zipster who has made a significant impact on advancing our company goals and strategy.

Winners: Kathryn Flynn, Director, Growth Marketing and Jimmie Lindstrom, VP Sales Engineering

✨“Kathryn maintains a steady force for many Zipsters. She pushes boundaries, encourages others to run at problems and has shown that all departments are dependent on each other and that no one person succeeds without their team/cross-functional partners.”

✨“Jimmie is changing the game daily by constantly leaning into not just what our customers need today, but where and how we can meet them tomorrow. He loves to "make it happen" and often finds creative solutions and pathways to overcome any blockers thrown our way.”

🏆 Own It Award for Rookie of the Year: Acknowledging a new Zipster who has, within their first 12 months at Zip, consistently exceeded the expectations of their role and delivered an incredible impact on the business.

Winner: Chris Nelms, VP Platform Assurance & Security

✨”It’s rare to see someone join a company and make an immediate and transformative impact, but Chris has done exactly that since joining. From day one, he has tackled the monumental task of uplifting our cyber security capabilities, not only protecting the business but enabling it to operate with greater confidence.”

🏆 Customer First Award: This award celebrates a Zipster who embodies a customer-first mindset in every aspect of their work.

Winners: Jacob Medure, Senior Product Designer I and Scott Romani, Senior Manager, Customer Experience Operations

✨ “Jacob drives home a customer first mindset! He is a staunch advocate for transparent communication with our customers at all times. He embodies persistence and advocates for our customers always and everywhere.”

✨ “Scott’s #CustomerFirst mindset is evident in everything he does. He actively seeks to understand the Zip business, products, and customers, always remaining curious and focused on delivering exceptional experiences.”

🏆 Stronger Together Award for Team of the Year: This award honors a team that has gone above and beyond for Zip, working seamlessly together and exemplifying the spirit of being stronger as one. The winning team is one that consistently excels, placing innovation at the core of all their collaborative efforts.

Winner: Product Engineering

✨“The Product and Engineering Team (PRODENG) exemplifies Zip’s core value of “Stronger Together” through their seamless collaboration and remarkable achievements. This team, comprised of Product Management, Product Engineering, IT, Cyber Security, Quality Management, Data Engineering, Machine Learning Engineering, Sales Engineering, and Merchant Integration, united to tackle the monumental challenge of strengthening the foundational engines that power Zip’s success and prepare the company for rapid scaling.”

🏆 Zipsters’ Zipster Award: The Zipster's Zipster is a standout culture ambassador, known for their approachability, dedication to getting things done, and embodying the true spirit of what it means to be a Zipster.

Winner:

Dani Banci, Senior Compliance Manager, BSA Officer, US

✨“Dani truly exemplifies Zip's values in every interaction, whether on a call or in a thread. Her personable nature and effortless leadership shine through in all she does. Dani wears many hats, is a team player, does an amazing job with Web Bank and all with a smile!”

🏆 Exceptional Coach of the Year (The Catalyst) For the first time, we’re introducing the Coach of the Year award in the US to recognize someone whose guidance and leadership have inspired others. This award recognizes a people leader who lives our mission to ‘Unlock Potential’, inspiring growth, career development and learning for their team.

Winner: Melissa DePasquale, Senior Engineering Manager

✨“Melissa is a people-first leader who leads with empathy and transparency. She is highly competent at driving progress and creating alignment across teams. She watches out for those who report to her and those around her on adjacent teams, eliminating distractions and allowing them to work to their full potential.”

Congratulations to all winners, and to the many other Zipsters who were shortlisted. Thank you all for your efforts!