Category: Management

PA&A

Philip Andreae & Associates (PA&A)

Philip Andreae & Associates (PA&A): Strategic Insight for Select Digital Futures

A Legacy Forged in Capital Markets, Pioneering Trust in Payments & Identity.

After five decades at the forefront of global finance and digital innovation, Philip Andreae & Associates (PA&A) now operates as a specialized consultancy for select, challenging assignments. As a semi-retired entity, PA&A offers unparalleled expertise for organizations seeking truly transformative guidance on the most intriguing and complex issues in the digital realm.

“My goal has always been to make sure the team considers everything,” Philip Andreae often states, reflecting a career defined by comprehensive solutions and the ability to bridge seemingly disparate worlds.

From Wall Street’s Trading Floors to Global Payments:

Philip Andreae’s journey began in the crucible of Capital Markets, managing critical technology and infrastructure for giants like Chemical Bank, Bankers Trust, Manufacturers Hanover Trust, Salomon Brothers, and Shearson Lehman Hutton in NYC and London. This high-stakes environment instilled a deep understanding of complex financial ecosystems and the imperative for robust, real-time systems.

“When I moved to payments in 1991, I realized it was a fundamental shift from ‘100 at a million to a million at a 100’,” Philip recalls. This insight captured the profound transition from high-value, low-volume capital markets to the mass-market, high-volume demands of global payments – a shift that would define his next three decades.

Why Engage PA&A Now?

The digital landscape is a tapestry of evolving challenges and unprecedented opportunities. PA&A brings not just experience, but a proven track record of architecting the very foundations of today’s secure digital interactions. We excel at:

  • Pioneering Foundational Standards: As a primary architect of EMV, Philip Andreae literally wrote the specifications that now secure billions of payment cards globally. This work dramatically reduced fraud by 50% worldwide, demonstrating an unparalleled ability to unite competing interests for a common, secure future.
    As one industry observer noted about the EMV standard: “It was nothing short of revolutionary, bringing competitors to collaborate for the greater good of the industry.”
  • Foresight into the Future of Identity: Decades before their ubiquity, Philip was openly predicting the rise of digital wallets and irrefutable proof of digital identity. His early work with companies like GlobeID and Unicate laid the conceptual groundwork for secure, user-centric digital credentials.
    A quote from his own early consulting materials captures this forward thinking: “Delivering proven results in business environments constrained by tight budgets, limited execution time frames and complex user requirements.”
  • Driving National-Scale Adoption: In Canada, as VP of Emerging Products and Technologies at Visa Canada, he spearheaded the nation’s successful transition to Chip & PIN, positioning Canada at the vanguard of payment security. In the U.S., during his tenure at Oberthur Technologies (now IDEMIA), he became a leading evangelist for secure payments, tackling America’s unique challenges in EMV adoption head-on.
    Reporting on the U.S. EMV migration, industry publications frequently quoted Philip Andreae, highlighting his role in explaining that “America’s late adoption of EMV was both a challenge and an opportunity… [putting] the nation in last place for EMV adoption and at the greatest risk for fraud.” (Reference: *Digital Transactions* or similar trade press from the 2013-2017 period)
  • Beyond Payments: Securing Democracy: His most recent work with Voatz and the Government Blockchain Alliance extends his expertise into the critical domain of secure electronic voting, applying the same principles of integrity and trust honed in financial systems.

“Philip’s gift has been his ability to see connections others miss,” observes his biography, perfectly encapsulating his unique approach.

Interesting Assignments Welcomed

PA&A is now seeking engagements that are intellectually stimulating and offer the chance to make a significant, focused impact. If you have a complex problem in:

  • Advanced Payments Architectures
  • Digital Identity & Authentication Systems
  • Blockchain Applications for Trust
  • Cybersecurity Strategy in Transactional Environments
  • Capital Markets Technology Evolution
  • Strategic Consulting for Board-Level Challenges in FinTech

…and require a seasoned, independent voice with a proven history of delivering groundbreaking solutions, we invite you to connect. Let’s explore how four decades of unparalleled insight can benefit your next critical initiative.

A stakeholder economy built on Social Values is best.

Milton Friedman’s shareholder enrichment approach has been the dominant business philosophy for decades. However, there are a number of reasons why we should stop embracing this approach and focus on the Golden Rule, quality, and sustainability instead.
First, Friedman’s approach is based on the idea that the only social responsibility of a business is to increase its profits. This is a narrow view of business that ignores the many other stakeholders that businesses have, such as employees, customers, suppliers, and the environment.
Second, Friedman’s approach has led to a decline in the quality of products and services. When businesses are only focused on making profits, they are less likely to invest in research and development or to make sure that their products are of high quality. This has led to a number of scandals, such as the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the General Motors ignition switch recall.
Third, Friedman’s approach has contributed to environmental problems. When businesses are only focused on making profits, they are less likely to invest in sustainable practices. This has led to an increase in pollution and climate change.
Fourth, Friedman’s approach has led to a decline in worker satisfaction. When businesses are only focused on making profits, they are less likely to invest in their employees or to provide them with good working conditions. This has led to an increase in employee turnover and dissatisfaction.
Fifth, Friedman’s approach has led to a decline in trust in businesses. When businesses are only focused on making profits, they are more likely to engage in unethical or illegal behavior. This has led to a decline in public trust in businesses.
In contrast, the Golden Rule, quality, and sustainability focus on the long-term health of businesses and society. The Golden Rule teaches us to treat others as we would want to be treated. This means that businesses should treat their employees, customers, suppliers, and the environment with respect. Quality means that businesses should produce high-quality products and services that meet the needs of their customers. Sustainability means that businesses should operate in a way that does not harm the environment or future generations.
There are a number of things that businesses can do to focus on the Golden Rule, quality, and sustainability. First, they can adopt ethical codes of conduct. Second, they can invest in research and development to improve the quality of their products and services. Third, they can use sustainable practices to reduce their impact on the environment. Fourth, they can pay their employees a fair wage and provide them with good working conditions. Fifth, they can be transparent about their business practices.
By focusing on the Golden Rule, quality, and sustainability, businesses can create a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.

Sunday June 7th 2020

Since early February, we here in the United States have had to live with the coronavirus and its economic implications. Over the last two weeks, we have confronted with the reality of our racist tendencies. Over the last 20+ years, this country has fractured into the left the Democrats and the right the Republicans; groups like the tea party have driven these tribal tendencies who wish to engender their thoughts on everyone.

The sense of discomfort that lives within my soul creates tensions and a sense of despair. If only we could see the light.  If only we could believe the truth.  If only we could come together as one people each of us would be much happier and able to live a more productive and satisfying life

What can I do? What can you do to change the way we think to change the way we act to change the way we embrace each other? Some would remind us of the works of great religious leaders such as Jesus Christ, Lao-Tzu, Confucius Siddhartha Gautama. Men and I am sure women who have spoken of peace and tranquility.  They talked about friendship and the bonds of togetherness? It is these bonds of friendship we have to find again.  It is the ability to accept and embrace each other we need to remember. We need to stop arguing with each other. We need to start embracing each other. We need to remember that debate is a good thing, while arguments are not.

When I was a young man, I believed it would take three generations for us to address are the racial tensions in this country. I think my problem then was from which age do we begin; it was not the generation that I came from the baby boomers. Maybe not even Gen X. It needs to have a fresh start. It needs to be built on the beliefs of togetherness. Yesterday evening we watched a documentary about Thurgood Marshall. I had no idea how complexed the arguments and the legal battles have been to reach where we are today. The Jim Crow laws so divisive created the division in the South. Separate but equal established a baseline to segregate those of color from those who believed they had the power.

I so much want to walk forward into a world where peace is the norm where cooperation is how we work together.  But, the tension, the tribal tendency, seems to be deeply ingrained in our human psyche. It is the human psyche we need to address. We need to transform our thinking from that of fight and right to that of compassion, cooperation, and solidarity.

What more can I say? I can only pray that ‘we the people’ will find the way forward. That ‘we the people,’ will work together to find a more peaceful union. That we, the people, will finally achieve what the founders envisioned. What some would say God offered us in the Garden of Eden before we fit into the fruit of knowledge. We should harness understanding for good.

Ten steps to making a project successful

Wednesday September 5th, 2018 I had the opportunity to speak to a Information Technology class about my ten successes and learning as a project and program manager.  Below is the presentation I used with this I hope interested room full of student of Kennesaw State University.

Project Management Kennesaw 180905