Lea Sims

Go-getter
DISC Type : d

Director, Financial Product Solutions at Thrivent

Austin, Texas, United States

Overview

Lea is a digital product executive with over 20 years of experience in financial services at firms like Thrivent, Charles Schwab, and USAA. She specializes in digital transformation, payments, and client-centric product solutions. A graduate of Hollins University, she is described by colleagues as personable, intelligent, and candid.

Outside of work, Lea is passionate about community involvement, showing support for local non-profits like LifeWorks Austin. She also has a keen interest in the startup ecosystem, particularly in empowering and celebrating female-founded companies.

Lea previously headed the employee and member innovation program at USAA Labs, developing new products and fostering a culture of innovation across the company.

Personality Overview

Self-Confident

Vision Oriented

Direct & Candid

They can be nudged to make faster decisions by offering what they value.  They respond well to confident salespeople. They care equally about the product and its potential impact.

Topics They Care About

Digital Payments
Currently leads product solutions for payments at Thrivent and previously architected the digital payments strategy at Charles Schwab.
Fintech Innovation
Her experience includes heading USAA's innovation lab, where she focused on developing transformative, industry-first financial solutions and fostering an enterprise-wide innovation culture.
Authentic Leadership
Actively shares content about the importance of purpose-driven, authentic leadership and building an empowered team culture to create amazing products.

Media Appearances

Lea has no verified media appearances

Work History

3-2025
Director, Financial Product Solutions at Thrivent
11-2021 - 1-2024
Managing Director, Digital Payments and Money Movement at Charles Schwab
9-2019 - 11-2021
Managing Director, Digital Investor Solutions Operations at Charles Schwab
6-2016 - 7-2019
Assistant Vice President, USAA Labs at USAA
5-2013 - 5-2016
Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Advice at USAA

Education

Bachelor of Arts - BA from Hollins University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 14 Location : Austin, Texas, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director, Financial Product Solutions at Thrivent
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Insights For Selling To Lea

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Tell them that you are there to help them create visible impact within their organization
  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending too much time on pleasantries
  • Highlight the competitive differentiation of your product

DONT's

  • Don’t try to be an alpha salesperson, give them equal space
  • Avoid long winding pitches, stay objective
  • Do not give up if they are not convinced, try again with a different approach

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Lea is

  • Belief in the product plays an important role, followed by objective proof and testimonials.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Lea

  • They may hesitate slightly, but if they are not convinced, they will say no.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Lea move?

  • They are neither the fastest decision makers nor the slowest.
  • Can Lea take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks only after they have analyzed the advantages and disadvantages.

You And Lea

Personality Compatibility


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