FreedomPay Promotes Liesl Smith to Chief Marketing Officer, Recognizing AI-Driven Marketing Success

FreedomPay, the global leader in Next Level Commerce™ technologies, has announced the promotion of Liesl M. Smith to Chief Marketing Officer, effective February 3, 2026. Smith previously served as Senior Vice President of Global Marketing, where she spearheaded the company's strategic pivot toward AI-driven content marketinga transformation that earned FreedomPay recognition at the prestigious Fintech Marketing Global Awards.

Smith's elevation to CMO comes on the heels of her team's groundbreaking achievement in leveraging artificial intelligence to revolutionize FreedomPay's content marketing operations. Under her leadership, the marketing department implemented advanced AI content marketing tools that delivered a remarkable 400% increase in production efficiency. This strategic implementation not only amplified the company's content output but also significantly expanded its reach across new and existing marketing channels, driving substantial business growth.

In October 2025, FreedomPay received high commendation in the "Best Use of AI" category at the Fintech Marketing Global Awardsa newly established award category that specifically recognizes innovative applications of artificial intelligence in fintech marketing. The recognition underscored Smith's vision of merging cutting-edge technology with marketing excellence to achieve measurable business outcomes.

A cornerstone of Smith's marketing strategy involved collaborating with industry partners Dynatrace and Verifone to develop comprehensive supporting materials for key reports. This partnership-driven approach demonstrated FreedomPay's commitment to fostering mutual growth and innovation within the fintech ecosystem. Both partners joined FreedomPay at the awards ceremony, highlighting the collaborative nature of the company's marketing initiatives.

Smith's promotion to CMO signals FreedomPay's continued commitment to positioning itself as an industry innovator at the intersection of commerce technology and marketing excellence. As CMO, Smith will oversee the company's global marketing strategy and continue driving initiatives that leverage emerging technologies to enhance brand visibility and customer engagement.

FreedomPay serves as a unified commerce platform for leading brands across retail, hospitality, sports and entertainment, food service, healthcare, and higher education sectors. The company operates as an independent payment gateway with over 1,300 integrations, processes billions of transactions annually, and maintains 100% client retention at the enterprise level across 88 countries.

Smith's success reflects a broader industry trend of financial technology companies embracing artificial intelligence to enhance operational efficiency and marketing effectiveness. By automating content creation and optimization processes, FreedomPay's marketing team was able to allocate resources more strategically, focus on higher-level creative and strategic work, and respond more rapidly to market opportunities.

The 400% efficiency gain achieved by Smith's team demonstrates the tangible business value of AI adoption in marketing operationsa metric that resonates strongly with fintech investors and stakeholders increasingly focused on technology-driven competitive advantages.

Founded and led by CEO Tom Durovsik, FreedomPay is recognized as the world's largest independent payment gateway. The company's Next Level Commerce™ platform integrates payments, loyalty, security, and advertising capabilities into a single, unified system designed to simplify legacy payment infrastructure and deliver seamless customer experiences across in-store, online, and mobile channels.