At Lean Industries, we do not just deliver dispute software, we build partnerships with our clients. Our leadership team brings deep experience in payments, fraud, and dispute resolution, but more importantly, we bring a mindset of collaboration and long-term success. We work closely with each client – banks, processors, and financial institutions around the world – to truly understand their goals, systems, and constraints. Every project is approached with care, flexibility, and relentless focus on delivering outcomes that matter, such as automation, accuracy, and compliance.
Our role does not stop at implementation. We stay engaged, responsive, and committed to helping our clients succeed, because when they win, so do we.
Paul Birkness is the President of Lean, a leading innovator in dispute software solutions. With three decades of experience spanning software development and the payments industry, Paul brings a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen to his leadership role.
Prior to his current position, Paul held key roles in both startup and enterprise environments, where he led the development of leading business solutions, leveraging a broad base of expertise across business development, product, marketing, finance, and strategy development. His deep understanding of financial technologies and commitment to client success have consistently driven growth and operational excellence.
At Lean, Paul is focused on driving strategic innovation, fostering a culture of collaboration, and delivering transformative solutions that create client success. His vision combines cutting-edge technology with practical execution, ensuring the company remains at the forefront of digital transformation.
Angie started her career in banking as a teller but quickly found her way to Disputes, managing that department for number of years before finding a home at Lean. At Lean, she brings that knowledge and experience daily into her interactions with her clients. Being able to understand the client’s point of view has helped her and her team of Business Analysts and Visual (low-code) Developers, who combined have decades of dispute resolution knowledge, to guide successful client project implementations, as well as internally-driven projects. They do this daily by implementing sometimes complex client requirements, adding automation for efficiency gains, while always advising on best practices to ensure both regulatory and network compliance.
With over 10 years of hands-on experience in the dispute resolution space, Cláudio has led end-to-end implementation projects across Europe, the United States, and South America, delivering innovative and scalable solutions for major financial institutions and payment players.
At Lean, Cláudio has helped shape the future of dispute management, starting from solution implementation using our proprietary low-code platform, to product management and market strategy. Cláudio has played a key role in designing and launching a cutting-edge dispute workflow framework, built to support issuer and acquirer processes for all major card network solutions (including Mastercom and VROL). This end-to-end framework is setting a new standard for how dispute workflows are delivered fast, flexible, and fully network compliant.
With deep knowledge of global dispute processes, regulatory changes, and evolving payment ecosystems, Cláudio works closely with clients to translate their business needs into high-performing solutions. More recently, Cláudio’s focus has extended to sales and marketing.
Chris Mahy leads Lean Industries’ Professional Services team, bringing over 28 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 18 years focused on dispute management at Lean. His deep domain expertise and strategic oversight drive the success of all customer initiatives.
As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Chris oversees every aspect of Lean’s customer project execution and content delivery. His leadership ensures engagements are delivered with precision, transparency, and a strong emphasis on value realization.
Chris’s dedication to excellence and his collaborative approach have made him a trusted advisor to Lean’s clients, guiding them through complex implementations and enabling long-term success in dispute management.
Duncan is a highly motivated and results-oriented Director with over 30 years of experience in infrastructure technology. He is recognized for his strategic and critical thinking, ability to deliver cost-effective solutions, and skill in prioritizing efficient resource allocation. Duncan consistently embraces continuous improvement and drives operational excellence across global organizations.
With more than 25 years in senior management roles, Duncan has specialized in infrastructure, cybersecurity, business resilience, and strategic technology solutions. He is also known for cultivating high-performing teams and fostering a culture of innovation and accountability.
In his current position at Lean Industries, Duncan leads the information technology services and support functions at Lean Industries. He is responsible for shaping and executing the overall IT strategy, ensuring alignment between technology initiatives and business objectives. His role encompasses oversight of information security, protection of organizational systems, and management of daily IT operations.
Previously, at Springer-Miller Systems, Duncan directed IT and Cloud Operations, provided strategic counsel to senior leadership, managed the help desk, and developed comprehensive technology roadmaps. His leadership was instrumental in setting the organization’s strategic direction and ensuring operational success.
As Senior Manager at Roynat Capital Inc., Duncan oversaw IT infrastructure, policy development, and team leadership within a banking environment. He ensured high availability and robust security standards, contributing to the organization's resilience and efficiency.
Diane has been with Lean Industries for over nine years, leading the Production Projects team and supporting clients currently in production with Lean’s software solutions. She is dedicated to building strong, lasting relationships with clients and ensuring their success. Diane also organizes the annual Lean User Group Conference (LUG), creating an engaging environment where attendees can learn about the latest developments at Lean and within the dispute industry—while having a little fun along the way.
Outside of work, she enjoys walking her dog, Henry, and cheering on Cleveland’s sports teams.
Elena Grodzovsky is a seasoned QA leader with nearly 20 years of experience driving quality excellence across diverse global software organizations. As Director of Quality Assurance at Lean Industries, she oversees cross-functional teams and spearheads testing strategies of systems that handle electronic payment disputes.
Her career spans multiple international markets, where she has built QA departments from the ground up, mentored high-performing teams, and aligned quality initiatives with strategic business goals. Elena’s expertise includes manual and automated testing, agile methodologies, and regulatory compliance across industries such as fintech, healthcare, and telecommunications.
She holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and is known for her strategic vision, hands-on leadership, and commitment to continuous improvement.
Rachel Davenport is a business analyst and software configuration leader with extensive expertise in the banking, payments, and fintech industries. With more than a decade of experience, she has built a career at the intersection of technology, compliance, and business process transformation, helping organizations streamline operations and adopt innovative solutions.
Rachel has specialized knowledge in dispute resolution and chargeback management, having led teams responsible for navigating complex payment network rules and implementing dispute management software for issuers and acquirers. She has collaborated on the design of dispute resolution platforms, and overseen teams processing PIN-based chargebacks across all major card networks. Her ability to combine regulatory compliance expertise with process optimization has enabled her to deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and client satisfaction.
In her current role, Rachel leads a team of Software Configuration Specialists, guiding the development of low-code solutions that power dispute management systems for financial institutions worldwide. She is known for her skill in training, client engagement, and cross-functional collaboration, ensuring that both technical and business stakeholders achieve their objectives.
Rachel brings a strong foundation in business systems analysis, project lifecycle management, and consulting, paired with hands-on experience in fraud detection, merchant acquiring, and electronic payments processing. Her career reflects a consistent focus on transforming complex processes into streamlined, technology-driven solutions that align with industry regulations and client needs.
Charles brings over 30 years of experience across implementation, design, and management in various industries, including more than 11 years dedicated to dispute management at Lean. Prior to joining Lean, he played a pivotal role in the ground-up development of vendor/supplier settlement systems for Hydro’s open market—an experience that provided a strong foundation for his work at Lean.
At Lean, Charles has collaborated closely with clients to standardize and streamline their use of Lean’s products. His deep involvement in implementing both customer-specific and core modules has given him a comprehensive understanding of the company’s capabilities and offerings.
He has been instrumental in establishing new standards and modern frameworks that enhance the efficiency and productivity of customer system interactions. His role requires translating complex technical requirements into high-performing, seamless interfaces between client environments and Lean’s AdjustmentHub platform.
In his current position, Charles leads a team of developers focused on customer implementation. He actively mentors the team, sharing his expertise, methodologies, and best practices to ensure they deliver tailored, high-impact solutions that meet each client’s unique needs.
Padma Dharan is a results-driven Quality Assurance (QA) Manager with close to ten years of experience in dispute management software. She is skilled in designing and implementing quality frameworks that ensure compliance with organizational policies and industry standards, with a clear focus on delivering flawless software solutions to clients.
The software Padma oversees is highly comprehensive, supporting end-to-end dispute resolution across multiple payment networks. Given the sensitivity of topics such as regulatory compliance for banks, there is no room for error - quality must be near perfection. Padma’s commitment to excellence is reflected in every aspect of the QA process, from initial design to final delivery.
Her professional philosophy is rooted in the belief that effective dispute management is not just about resolving conflicts, but about reinforcing fairness, reliability, and trust in the process. By combining rigorous QA practices with user-centric thinking, Padma helps businesses deliver consistent, high-quality resolution outcomes that protect both customers and brand reputation.
With a strong background in leading cross-functional teams, Padma specializes in identifying system vulnerabilities, enhancing user experience, supporting root-cause analysis, and optimizing QA processes to achieve the highest standards of quality.
With 18+ years of experience in software development, Ravi Hariharan specializes in the Banking, Payments, and Disputes domains, delivering innovative solutions to global clients.
At Lean Industries, he serves as the Manager of Core Product Development for AdjustmentHub and NetworkHub. Leading a team of developers, he combines deep technical expertise with strong leadership to drive projects across the full product lifecycle.
Prior to joining LEAN, Ravi gained international experience working in India, Denmark, and Finland before settling in Canada. Passionate about collaboration and innovation, he is committed to creating lasting value and driving transformation for LEAN and its customers.
Seth is a seasoned and versatile professional with over 16 years of experience working across banking, IT, project management, and dispute resolution. He’s helped several clients improve how they handle disputes by leading the rollout of AdjustmentHub—making sure the system fits their needs and works smoothly with their existing tools.
Seth has worked in different organizations, always focused on solving problems, improving processes, and making things easier for both teams and customers. Seth knows how to manage tough situations, especially when it comes to chargebacks and compliance, and he’s good at finding practical solutions that work.
With a background in graphic design, he also brings a creative touch to communication and user experience—helping teams and stakeholders stay aligned and informed. Whether leading projects or working behind the scenes, Seth stays focused on delivering results that matter.