Silva Joins S1 Enterprise

As a former TowerGroup research director and erstwhile banker, Jerry Silva is no stranger to bank technology. But now he will gain a new perspective, having made the leap to the vendor community to join S1 Enterprise, a division of Norcross, Ga.-based S1 Corp., as vice president, product strategy, retail online. Silva is responsible for product management and strategy for the S1 Enterprise retail online and mobile banking business.

According to Silva, the career move came about almost by accident after a casual e-mail exchange with S1 CEO Johann Dreyer. Before Silva knew it, the bank tech company made an offer and Silva accepted.

Silva says his unique combination of experience will benefit him in his role at S1. "Part of the benefit of being an analyst at a company like TowerGroup was that we were all people who used to work in the industry," he explains. "We understand the challenges banks face. I know the competitive landscape well and where S1's products need to head."

Silva adds that the challenges he'll face at S1 aren't necessarily tech-related. "The technology is sound -- there's a huge opportunity in mobile banking, and there's still opportunity left in online banking," he relates. "The biggest problem will be dispelling the stigma surrounding S1. The company had financial issues, a change of leadership and some past customer satisfaction issues. This is a large part of my conversation with clients. But S1 is a company working its way back and I'm catching it on the upswing."