Meet Kelly Paola Ordoñez Castañeda

When it comes to navigating the complex world of payments across Latin America, Kelly Paola Ordoñez Castañeda brings focus, adaptability, and a drive to create solutions that work. Based in Colombia, she helps connect Latin American partners to Nuvei's global payments network -building trust, collaborating with teams across time zones, and delivering initiatives that make a real difference for customers and Nuvei.

Finding her spark in payments

Starting her career in a traditional corporate environment, Kelly was looking for an agile, dynamic, and fast-paced setting where she could see the direct impact of her work on both the business and the end customer.

Over the years, she explored finance roles spanning payments management to overseeing financial statements across multiple countries. It was in payments that she found her spark.

"Joining Nuvei offered the perfect mix: a global platform to deepen my expertise, exposure to how payments work around the world, and a culture where people-first thinking drives innovation."

Building relationships that matter

Working across Latin America and with global teams means navigating different cultures, communication styles, and expectations. Kelly invests time in understanding how people work, what they prioritize, and how to bring everyone together with clarity and purpose.

"Partnerships aren't just contracts or processes - they connect people and ideas so we can move forward together."

A standout moment in Kelly’s journey was helping establish direct acquiring in Colombia, an initiative with few local precedents. She immersed herself in everything from reconciliation flows to cost structures and scheme requirements, shaping a framework that worked for both partners and Nuvei. By analyzing pricing models and monitoring performance data, she guided decisions and kept teams aligned. Along the way, she built strong, trusted relationships that continue to support collaboration across the region, showing how Nuvei’s global expertise can create meaningful local impact.

Creating impact through collaboration

Kelly believes the best work comes from bringing together local and global teams, each contributing unique skills and knowledge. She's intentional about understanding cultural nuances, what different teams need to succeed, and how to create genuine alignment that turns partnerships into momentum.

She also believes in letting the numbers guide the work. By analyzing, measuring, and monitoring data, she ensures decisions are informed and communicated clearly.

Thriving in Colombia’s payments space

Colombia is both a beautiful and complex market. Success requires bridging the traditional and digital economies, adapting solutions to customer needs, local pricing, competition, and regulations. Every feature, development, or partnership must be adaptable, scalable, and grounded in real value - a strong foundation here has the power to make a meaningful impact in the wider payments ecosystem.

Staying energized

The fast pace of fintech keeps Kelly motivated. Regulations, mandates, and local requirements can shift overnight, and she thrives on constantly learning, developing new models, improving processes, and finding better solutions for customers. Outside of work, she brings the same strategic mindset to her hobbies - whether analyzing her next move in board games, setting fitness goals through regular exercise, or exploring new ideas through reading.

She's also inspired by the women leaders in her life - from her aunt, a VP in finance, to the women leaders at Nuvei - who encourage her to continue growing both personally and professionally.

"What I love about working at Nuvei is that every day brings new challenges, opportunities to learn, and the chance to make a real impact. The culture encourages collaboration, innovation, and growth, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see how our work benefits customers and partners across the region."

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