Unzer names new product chief

Unzer has announced the appointment of Isabelle Bénard as its new Chief Product & AI Officer, a role that merges product strategy with the company’s artificial‑intelligence agenda as it pushes AI deeper into its payment platform.

The move signals a shift in how the firm views artificial intelligence.

Background and career highlights

Before joining the German‑based payments and software provider, Bénard spent more than 15 years leading product teams across a range of global firms. Her most recent position was Chief Product Officer at Mirakl, where she oversaw marketplace solutions for enterprise clients. Earlier stints include senior product roles at Amazon, Global Fashion Group, SSENSE and Lightspeed, where she directed product innovation, international expansion and post‑acquisition integration.

Unzer’s CEO Robert Bueninck said the move reflects a shift in how the firm views AI. “At Unzer, AI is no longer an experiment or a side project,” he told reporters. “It is becoming part of how we build products, make decisions and support merchants every day.” The executive added that Bénard’s “true product person” mindset would help the company focus on customer problems rather than technology for its own sake.

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Scope of the new role

As Chief Product & AI Officer, Bénard will steer the evolution of Unzer’s product organization while embedding AI into core processes. Her responsibilities include expanding AI‑driven capabilities in onboarding, fraud prevention, compliance, customer support and software development. She will also strengthen the underlying infrastructure and talent needed to scale these initiatives.

Unzer’s platform currently serves more than 90,000 merchants, offering a unified commerce solution that blends payments, software and financial services. The company has been expanding this platform, and the new appointment is intended to accelerate that growth by leveraging data and machine‑learning tools.

“What impressed me most about Isabelle is that she is a true product person at heart,” Bueninck said. “She is excited about the possibilities of AI, but not for the sake of AI itself. She starts with the customer problem and works backwards from there.”

Isabelle Bénard echoed the sentiment, noting, “What attracted me to Unzer was the combination of dedicated people, strong foundations and real potential. The company is at an exciting point in its journey, with a huge opportunity to combine product, data and AI to solve real customer problems.” She added that she looks forward to collaborating with teams and merchants to shape the next chapter of growth.