Merchant Industry today introduced Suede, marking the next evolution of the company as it expands its vision for modern merchant services and payments technology. The new name reflects an intentional reimagining of how the company delivers value to merchants, partners, and employees—building on its proven foundation while positioning the organization for a significantly larger opportunity ahead.
Merchant Industry announced its rebrand to Suede, marking the next evolution of the company's vision for modern merchant services and payments technology.
The rebrand follows the company's acquisition by Lovell Minnick Partners in September 2025 to accelerate growth both organically and through strategic acquisitions.
Suede announced four senior leadership appointments: Azadeh Aghajani as CFO, Josh Namia as Chief of Staff, Tim Hills to lead Inside Sales, and Jamie Garfield as Head of Partner Sales.
The Suede brand reflects a commitment to delivering a seamless, modern experience through a unified platform for payments technology and merchant services.
The company supports tens of thousands of merchants processing billions in annual sales volume through its nationwide partner network.
New leadership brings expertise from BNY Mellon, MerchantE, and deep payments industry experience.
"The introduction of Suede follows the company's acquisition by Lovell Minnick Partners in September 2025, a partnership designed to accelerate the company's growth both organically and through strategic acquisitions. The company also announced the appointment of four senior leaders who will play key roles in executing that strategy.
"Suede represents more than a new name — it reflects who we are becoming as a company," said Vaden Landers, CEO. "We have built a strong foundation, and now we turn our attention toward writing a focused growth and value creation story. The team is assembled, the talent is exceptional, and that gives me tremendous confidence in our ability to deliver on our new brand promise while driving scale, providing lasting value to our channel and merchant partners, and capitalizing on the tremendous opportunity in front of us."
The Suede brand reflects the company's commitment to delivering a more seamless, modern experience for merchants and partners. Beyond a new name and visual identity, the introduction of Suede represents a broader strategic evolution—bringing together technology, distribution, and service into a unified platform designed to help businesses accept payments, grow revenue, and operate more efficiently.
To support its next phase of growth, Suede has expanded its leadership team across finance, strategy, sales, and partnerships. Azadeh Aghajani, formerly CFO of the Asset Servicing Division at BNY Mellon, joins Suede as Chief Financial Officer, bringing deep expertise in financial strategy, capital allocation, and operational finance. In this role, she will oversee all financial operations and play a central role in shaping the company's continued growth.
Josh Namia, previously CFO at MerchantE, has assumed the role of Chief of Staff, serving as a strategic partner to the CEO and leadership team to help drive execution across the company's most critical priorities. His role will be instrumental in translating strategy into operational results.
Tim Hills will lead Suede's Inside Sales organization, focused on scaling a high-performance sales engine capable of reaching and converting the hundreds of thousands of merchants accessible through the company's expanding partner network. With more than 30 years of experience in merchant acquiring, Hills brings a deep understanding of how to translate partner infrastructure into sustained merchant growth.
Strengthening the company's partner ecosystem, payments industry luminary Jamie Garfield joined Suede in mid-2025 as Head of Partner Sales, where she leads the company's third-party distribution strategy. Garfield oversees relationships with Suede's nationwide network of independent sales organizations, independent agents, and referral partners—an ecosystem that will continue to serve as a powerful engine of growth for the company.
About Suede
Suede (formerly Merchant Industry) is a payments technology and merchant services platform dedicated to helping businesses accept payments, grow revenue, and operate more efficiently. Suede combines modern payments infrastructure, point-of-sale technology, and a nationwide partner network to support tens of thousands of merchants processing billions in annual sales volume.
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