Payments Therapist Names Former FIS Executive to Lead Expanded PCI Practice

Wes Shattler will lead two consulting offerings aimed at helping payments businesses organize compliance governance and navigate their first PCI assessment

Payments Therapist is expanding its PCI compliance consulting practice and has appointed Wes Shattler as Senior Partner, PCI Services, according to an October 13, 2026, announcement distributed through Say Less Media. The expansion centers on two offerings: PCI Governance as a Service and Handling Your First PCI Assessment, aimed at fintechs, payment facilitators (PayFacs), independent software vendors (ISVs) and independent sales organizations (ISOs).

The company describes Shattler as a former FIS vice president with more than 25 years in cybersecurity, risk and compliance. It also says he served three terms on the PCI Security Standards Council’s Board of Advisors and has supported more than 500 PCI assessments. Those credentials are part of the company’s supplied background.

The announcement frames the new practice around coordination rather than an annual assessment alone. Shattler described the issue this way: “PCI compliance touches nearly every part of a payments organization, yet the responsibility for managing it is often fragmented across teams.” His description identifies organizational ownership as a central concern alongside the compliance work itself.

He also outlined the intended approach: “Our objective is to bring those responsibilities together under a coordinated program that gives organizations greater visibility, clearer accountability and a more sustainable approach to compliance.” That is an objective stated by the incoming practice leader, not evidence that the service has already delivered those results for clients.

Jason Kafer, Payments Therapist’s founder, made a similar distinction between recurring assessment pressure and an ongoing program. “For many companies, PCI becomes a scramble every year. Wes brings the kind of experience that can help organizations move toward a more structured and sustainable program.” The statement presents Kafer’s rationale for the appointment and his expectations for Shattler’s role.

The two service names point to different stages of a company’s compliance work. PCI Governance as a Service suggests an emphasis on continuing oversight, while Handling Your First PCI Assessment is explicitly positioned for an initial assessment. The announcement identifies those offerings, but the names alone do not establish the scope of work or the obligations a client would retain.

For the intended customers, that distinction is worth examining before engaging a consultant. A first assessment and an ongoing governance arrangement are not interchangeable assignments. Prospective clients would need to determine what each engagement covers, who owns decisions inside the business and how the consultant’s responsibilities fit with those of the teams doing the underlying work.

The target audience is also broader than a single type of payments business. Fintechs, PayFacs, ISVs and ISOs can occupy different positions in a payments operation. Listing them together identifies the market Payments Therapist wants to serve; it does not show that every prospective customer would have the same assessment requirements, governance needs or reason to seek outside support.

Shattler’s appointment is the concrete personnel change behind that positioning. The company is placing a named senior partner in charge of the new PCI services and emphasizing his background at FIS and in standards advisory work. That background may be relevant to buyers evaluating the practice, but professional experience and assessment volume are not substitutes for a clearly defined engagement or evidence of client outcomes.

The announcement’s central proposition is that compliance responsibilities should be organized as a coordinated program rather than treated only as a recurring deadline. Payments Therapist is now offering services under that premise, with Shattler leading the practice. Whether the approach provides the visibility and accountability he describes remains a question for delivery and client experience, rather than a result established by the appointment itself.