Bridging economics, strategy & product

Integrating economic insight with product leadership to accelerate innovation in banking, payments, and digital finance.

About me
I’m Tomas Villena, a strategist, economist, and product leader working at the intersection of management, finance, technology, and public policy. I bring over 8 years of global experience. 

From designing digital banking infrastructure at Visa and APIO, to advising governments and multinationals on billion-dollar strategic initiatives and investment strategies.

With a background that spans corporate finance, econometric modeling, AI and digital product development, I help organizations navigate disruption and design scalable, data-driven financial systems.

What I do

Strategic advisory, structured problem-solving & economic insights

I advise firms, governments, and international institutions on investment strategy, regulatory design, and the economics of emerging financial technologies. My work has supported national reforms and private investments totaling over $XXXB.

Corporate strategy & digital transformation

With a foundation in valuation, M&A, and business modeling (Deloitte, KPMG), I’ve worked across corporate transformations, digital finance roadmaps, and go-to-market strategies in both developed and emerging markets.

Strategic management & executive leadership

I define product roadmaps, pricing strategies, market entry plans, strategic growth and marketing initiatives that align user needs with business value, unlocking new revenue streams and adoption at scale. I also manage product, technical, sales and consulting teams.

Product innovation in banking & payments

At Visa and APIO Technologies, I’ve led multi-million-dollar product initiatives. Launching platforms for card program management, conversational AI, enterprise billing, and open banking APIs used by banks, fintechs, and enterprises worldwide.

Product strategy & innovation

I build and scale modern financial products. From zero-to-one launches to complex platform transformations. I've led product portfolios with $100M+ in revenue opportunity, spearheaded banking assistant AI tools, and deployed enterprise billing systems used across 50+ clients.

Economic analysis, corporate finance, financial modeling & data science

As a consultant and researcher, I’ve advised governments and global firms on strategic investments worth billions, using econometric models and evidence-based policy. I combine economic theory with statistical rigor to drive smarter decisions.

what I bring

Strategic management of corporations & public sector
  • General management, P&L ownership
  • Strategy definition and alignment
  • Cross-functional team leadership
  • OKRs, KPIs, planning and tracking
  • Financial management
  • Product management
  • Data science management
  • Technology teams, innovation organizations and information systems management
  • Full product lifecycle: discovery → launch → scale
  • GTM strategy, growth and marketing
  • Portfolio strategy, market entry, pricing and monetization
  • Agile methodologies and user-centered design
Economic analysis & strategy
  • Microeconomic, macroeconomic and econometric modeling applied to business and public sector problems
  • Evidence-based policy and investment decisions
  • Market design, public-private financing, and regulation
  • Strategic initiative design, opportunity sizing, evaluation and monitoring
  • Behavioral economics, pricing models, and optimization
International economic development 
  • LATAM, US, and global markets
  • Work spanning private sector, multinationals, and government
  • Multidisciplinary insights from macroeconomics to software
  • Intersection of econonic development, technology management, financial inclusion and innovation
Finance + data + AI
From global banks to startups, I design data-driven solutions that scale across markets, technologies, and policies.
Banking & fintech strategy
  • Deep subject matter expertise in the financial system, the banking sector, fintech and the payments ecosystem
  • Wholesale and retail banking product and process optimization
    • Digital banking
    • Corporate banking
    • Deposits
    • Loans
    • Cards
    • Payments
    • Investments
    • Capital markets
    • Merchant acquiring
  • Analytics, KPI tracking and economic analysis
  • Technology, operations, risk management and financial analysis
  • GTM strategy and analysis
  • Marketing, storytelling, growth
Enterprise payments & billing systems optimization
I architect solutions that streamline treasury operations, automate billing, and integrate ERPs with payment rails, driving operational efficiency and reducing time-to-cash.
  • Payments, billing, and digital banking platforms
  • Card program management and open banking APIs
  • Conversational AI and intelligent financial assistants

How I do It

 

Executive Leadership & Stakeholder Alignment

I lead multidisciplinary teams across product, engineering, design, data, sales and growth to deliver high-impact outcomes. From startups or Fortune 500s, I foster alignment between executive vision and execution.

 

Economic, Econometric & Statistical Modeling

Mathematical modeling of management problems, rigorous theory of change, economic data analysis, forecasting, causal inference, panel regressions, time-series modeling, microeconometrics.

 

Communication, Coaching & Collaboration

I bring clarity to complex projects, mentoring teams through product ambiguity and fostering a culture of curiosity and ownership. I create bridges between technologists and business leaders.

 

Technical Product Management

Understanding the technical details, collaborating with engineering teams and making informed decisions about the product's architecture and infrastructure.

 

Financial Modeling & Valuation

Discounted cash flow (DCF), comparables analysis, corporate, SaaS and asset valuation, unit economics, revenue modeling, scenario analysis.

 

Behavioral & User Analytics

E2E customer journey mapping, funnel analytics, conversion optimization, A/B testing.

 

Product & Market Analysis

Competitive benchmarking, product-market fit studies, demand estimations, opportunity sizing, pricing simulations, prioritization.

 

Project Evaluation

Cost-benefit, risk-return, regulatory impact, public-private investment analysis, impact evaluation.

 

Process Design, Operational Mapping & Efficiency Analytics

Process mapping, value-chain analysis, workflow optimization, operational analysis and automation.

 

Growth Strategy & Marketing

I align product development with growth levers. From pricing and packaging to user acquisition and lifecycle strategy. I use data and experimentation to unlock adoption, retention, and monetization.

 

Design Thinking & User-centered Design

Use best practices to identify needs and design solutions

 

Storytelling

Use clear narratives, visual data storytelling, and focused, action-driven messaging to effectively communicate complex insights in the context of organizational management.

Fintech portfolio

Apio

A suite of enterprise payment and financial management solutions

Alke

A simplified debt negotiation tool powered by the intersection of fintech, AI and legal tech

Domina el juego de las finanzas

A financial education book

Versor

An alternative assets financial data platform for institutional investors

Visa Banking Assistant

A white-label conversational AI assistant for banking applications

Visa Dispute Solutions

A suite of AI, API and management solutions for dispute process optimization and automation

Visa Installment Solutions

API for offering installments

Visa Bill Pay Solution

Financial analysis and business case for bill pay digital payment solutions

Digital Banking APIs

Card program management, program inquiry, generalized relationship service

Key technologies and tools

1

Cloud & architecture

AWS, serverless computing, event-driven design, microservices

2

Integrations & APIs

RESTful APIs, Open Banking, ERP & core banking integrations

3

Data & modeling

Python, R, Stata, SQL for econometrics, forecasting, policy simulation

4

Product & agile

JIRA, Confluence, Figma, Notion, roadmapping tools

5

AI & automation

LLMs, AI assistants, automation engines

6

Payments systems

VisaNet, Visa Direct, card tokenization, digital wallets, BNPL systems, wholesale payments

7

Finance tools

Financial modeling (Excel, Python), valuation frameworks, M&A analytics

8

Backoffice & ERPs

Finance and accounting modules of major ERP solutions (SAP, Oracle, Defontana)

9

Ecommerce platforms

Major enterprise and SMB ecommerce platforms including Shopify

Product Certifications

Artificial Intelligence

Designing & building AI products & services

Product Management Program

Core skills to lead successful products

Product Management & Strategy

Strategically manage the E2E product lifecycle

Education

BA, Economics, Mathematics & Statistics

Honors in Economics Top 10%

MSc, Economic Analysis. International Finance & Development

In progress

Testimonials

 I worked with Tomas in Visa's BNPL team. He was an early team member and was instrumental in early GTM and product development focused on billing. Tomas was highly analytical, effective at driving requirements, and execution. I would recommend Tomas for product management roles in Payments and B2B SaaS. 

Udit Batra: VP Product, Sage

 Tomas is an amazing business & product strategist and was instrumental in leading the GenAI modernization strategy to Visa post purchase products. I recently worked with him on developing the GenAI commerce & conversational AI 3-year strategy and vision for Visa NA market and without Tomas's attention to detail AI market trends, business insights and technical acumen we would not be able to shape the AI strategy for consumer products. He is a great team player, highly collaborative and brings customer first perspective to every business problem which makes him unique. He would be a great asset for any product organization. 

Suraj Powar: VP Innovation Visa

 I worked with Tomas as my North America product partner for several years. He was involved in product strategy and commercialization and did an outstanding job driving the multi-year roadmap for program management and enablement products. He was also instrumental in launching new products and features, including a GenAI solution for banks. Over the years I consistently observed a collaborative, positive and decisive partner with bias to action. Tomas has always demonstrated a strong work ethic, leadership, innovation and analytical skills. His negotiation and influencing skill is commendable. He will be a valuable asset in any product or strategy team. 

Anup Tripathi: Sr Director, Visa Global Product