About

Kristen Metzger
Chief Executive Officer and Solutions Leader

Kristen Metzger leads Smyyth's strategic vision, solution development, and client delivery initiatives. As CEO, she oversees the integration of technology, analytics, and service execution that helps organizations recover revenue, accelerate cash flow, and optimize credit-to-cash performance.

With extensive experience in accounts receivable transformation, deduction recovery, collections, and automation, Kristen has worked closely with Fortune 1000 companies to address complex operational challenges and improve financial outcomes. Her client-focused approach combines process expertise, technology innovation, and practical execution to deliver measurable business results.

Prior to her leadership role at Smyyth, Kristen held key positions with Creditek, a pioneering order-to-cash outsourcing and deduction management firm, where she helped develop and deliver solutions for many of the nation's leading manufacturers, distributors, and healthcare organizations.

Kristen plays an active role in the evolution of Carixa™, helping guide the platform's automation, analytics, and emerging AI-assisted capabilities to address the evolving needs of modern finance organizations.

She is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in Economics from the University of Vermont.

John Metzger
Chairman, Smyyth & Carixa

John Metzger is Chairman of Smyyth and Carixa™, where he helps shape the company's strategic vision and drive innovation in order-to-cash performance, accounts receivable automation, and revenue recovery.

A recognized pioneer in the accounts receivable and deduction management industry, John founded Creditek Corporation and grew it into the industry's leading accounts receivable business process outsourcing provider before its successful acquisition. Under his leadership, Creditek earned a reputation for excellence in deduction recovery, collections management, and order-to-cash services.

Before launching Creditek, John held executive leadership roles across credit, distribution, and global operations within the consumer products industry. His experience leading complex financial and operational organizations gave him firsthand insight into the challenges manufacturers, distributors, and retailers face in managing cash flow, customer relationships, and working capital.

John also founded Smyyth Trade Credit, a trade credit insurance company, and Credit2B, an automated B2B credit decisioning platform. Both companies were successfully acquired by strategic buyers. He is also a co-founder of the Retail Value Chain Federation (RVCF), helping advance best practices across the consumer goods industry.

Today, John is focused on helping organizations modernize their order-to-cash operations by combining decades of industry expertise with intelligent automation and AI-driven technologies. His vision continues to shape Smyyth's evolution, enabling finance organizations to improve cash flow, reduce revenue leakage, and unlock greater operational performance. John is a graduate of Rutgers University

Sean Daley
Vice President & Managing Director, Carixa

Sean Daley leads product strategy, innovation, and client success for Carixa™, Smyyth's intelligent credit-to-cash automation platform. He brings extensive experience in accounts receivable automation, billing and receivables management, deduction resolution, and financial technology solutions.

Prior to joining Smyyth, Sean served as Senior Product Manager at FIS, where he directed product strategy for SaaS-based receivables automation solutions used by enterprise organizations to improve cash flow, operational efficiency, and working capital performance. In that role, he worked closely with finance leaders to modernize credit-to-cash processes through automation, analytics, and emerging AI-driven technologies.

Earlier in his career, Sean held credit and risk management leadership positions at Philips, where he developed deep expertise in financial operations, customer risk management, and order-to-cash performance.

As Managing Director of Carixa, Sean is responsible for advancing the platform's product vision, helping organizations leverage automation, analytics, and emerging AI-assisted capabilities to reduce revenue leakage, accelerate cash flow, and optimize credit-to-cash operations.

Sean holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Pittsburgh.

Karen McCann
Vice President, Operations

Karen McCann is responsible for operational leadership, client success, and service delivery at Smyyth. With more than two decades of experience in deduction recovery, accounts receivable management, and credit-to-cash operations, she has helped clients recover millions of dollars in revenue while improving operational efficiency and financial performance.

Before joining Smyyth, Karen served as Director of Client Services for Creditek, a recognized leader in deduction outsourcing and recovery services. Her extensive experience spans client engagement, process management, data operations, and large-scale recovery programs.

Karen also serves as a Carixa™ product specialist, working closely with clients to implement intelligent automation, workflow optimization, and emerging AI-assisted capabilities that improve visibility, productivity, and recovery performance across the order-to-cash lifecycle.

Joseph D'Apolito
Chief Financial Officer

Joseph D'Apolito oversees finance, corporate planning, administration, and shared services across the Smyyth family of companies. With more than 20 years of executive leadership experience, Joe brings extensive expertise in corporate finance, accounting, strategic planning, operational management, and financial transformation.

Throughout his career, Joe has held senior financial leadership positions with both large enterprises and middle-market organizations. His experience includes serving as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Underwriting for PHHC, Director of Health Care Reform for EmblemHealth, Chief Financial Officer of a $5 billion business unit of Anthem, and Chief Financial Officer of Empire Roofing.

Joe's diverse background spans healthcare, insurance, financial management, and operational leadership, providing Smyyth with deep expertise in financial strategy, governance, performance management, and business growth. Joe has led financial operations, planning, and performance initiatives for organizations ranging from middle-market businesses to multi-billion-dollar enterprises.

He holds a degree in Finance and Accounting from Lehigh University.

Frank Boni
Vice President, Managed Services & Client Operations

Frank Boni leads managed services, client operations, and service delivery for Smyyth and Carixa™, helping organizations improve cash flow, optimize accounts receivable performance, and achieve successful credit-to-cash outcomes.

With more than 20 years of experience in commercial receivables management, credit, collections, and operational leadership, Frank brings extensive expertise in managing large-scale recovery programs, client service organizations, and outsourced accounts receivable operations. He oversees the teams and processes that support Smyyth's technology-enabled service offerings and Carixa SaaS client operations. Frank has helped manage recovery programs representing hundreds of millions of dollars in commercial receivables.

Prior to joining Smyyth, Frank served as Director of Operations and Sales Support for NCO Financial Systems, one of the nation's leading receivables management organizations. Earlier in his career, he held management positions with Dun & Bradstreet RMS and Payco GAC Corporation, where he developed deep expertise in commercial collections, operational performance, and client relationship management.

Frank holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Hofstra University.

Cheryl Westphal
Director, Client Success

Cheryl Westphal leads Client Success for Carixa™, helping clients achieve measurable business outcomes through successful implementations, ERP integrations, process optimization, and ongoing platform adoption. She works closely with client stakeholders, technology teams, and Smyyth operations to ensure every engagement delivers maximum value and long-term success.

With extensive experience in customer experience, implementation management, training, and operational transformation, Cheryl plays a key role in aligning Carixa's capabilities with each client's unique credit-to-cash requirements. Her focus extends beyond software deployment to ensuring clients realize meaningful improvements in productivity, cash flow, visibility, and operational performance.

Prior to joining Smyyth, Cheryl served as Director of Client Success for WellAware, a leading Industrial IoT technology company, where she led customer onboarding, adoption, and retention initiatives. Earlier in her career, she managed regional training operations for UnitedHealthcare, developing programs focused on employee development, process excellence, and customer experience.

At Smyyth, Cheryl is intimately involved in implementation planning, ERP integration initiatives, user adoption, and ongoing client success programs, helping organizations maximize the value of both the Carixa platform and Smyyth's technology-enabled service offerings.

Cheryl holds a degree in Communications from the University of Colorado.

James Hilton
Director, Consulting & Revenue Leakage Prevention

James Hilton leads consulting initiatives, strategic partnerships, and vendor compliance programs for Smyyth. With more than 20 years of experience in retail operations, supply chain management, logistics, and vendor compliance, he helps organizations reduce revenue leakage, prevent deductions, improve retailer scorecards, and strengthen order-to-cash performance.

James works closely with manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers to identify the operational drivers behind deductions, chargebacks, shortages, and compliance penalties. His expertise spans retailer compliance programs, supply chain execution, logistics optimization, and process improvement initiatives designed to deliver sustainable financial results.

Prior to joining Smyyth, James served as Vice President of Operations at Ferraro Foods and Director of Compliance at Robinson Home Products. Throughout his career, he has earned numerous industry distinctions, including Walmart Vendor of the Year recognition and Kohl's Certified Vendor status, reflecting his success in helping organizations achieve operational excellence and retailer compliance.

James also serves as Executive Advisor to the Retail Value Chain Federation (RVCF), where he contributes practical industry expertise, educational content, and thought leadership focused on retail supply chain performance, compliance, and revenue recovery.

Larissa Filine
Board Member for Technology

Larissa Filene provides strategic technology guidance and oversight to Smyyth and Carixa™, helping shape the company's long-term technology vision, architecture, and innovation initiatives.

With more than 20 years of experience supporting the Smyyth family of companies, Larissa has played a pivotal role in the development and evolution of both the Carixa and Credit2B platforms. During her tenure as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, she led software architecture, product development, data management, and technology strategy initiatives that continue to support the company's growth and innovation.

Most recently, Larissa served as an Enterprise Architect for both Deutsche Bank and Johnson & Johnson, where she worked on complex enterprise technology environments, digital transformation initiatives, and large-scale systems architecture. Earlier in her career, she consulted for Dun & Bradstreet and numerous Fortune 500 organizations throughout the United States and Europe.

Her expertise spans enterprise architecture, software engineering, cloud platforms, data analytics, automation technologies, and emerging AI-assisted capabilities. As a board member, she provides valuable insight into technology strategy, scalability, security, and product innovation.

Larissa holds a Master of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

Andrei Afanassenkov
Technology Advisor

Andrei has been a strategic resource to the Smyyth companies since 2006 including leading the development team for Carixa, Smyyth’s modular credit-to-cash automation platform. Andrei has deep experience in FinTech and enterprise technologies, computer simulation, and 3D modeling, and holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Bryansk University.

He leads Smyyth's infrastructure and software development activities.

Kavita Singh
Fintech Product Strategy Advisor

Kavita brings 16+ years of fintech leadership, previously serving as CPO at Credit2B and VP of AI Product Management at Payrailz. Her career includes leading major payments portfolios at Fiserv, Dun & Bradstreet, and IBM. Kavita holds an MBA from Michigan Ross and a BS in Computer Science; she currently serves as a Global Fellow at AI 2030, focusing on responsible AI governance.Singh holds an MBA from University of Michigan Ross School of Business and a BS in Computer Science from Birla Institute of Technology & Science. She currently serves as a Global Fellow at AI 2030, focused on responsible AI governance in financial services.

Kim Zablocky
CEO And Chairman, Retail Value Chain Federation

Associated with Smyyth since 2002, Kim is Chairman of the affiliated Retail Value Chain Federation (RVCF.com), the leading advocate for retailer-supplier trading partner synchronization that champions initiatives to increase industry-wide productivity, profitability, and growth.

Kim is well known for his expertise in customer financial services and serves as an advisor in matters concerning the retail and distribution industries. Kim holds a BA in Political Science from the State University of New York.

Anna Costello, PhD

Professor of Accounting, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Previously an Assistant Professor at MIT Sloan and Michigan Ross, Anna holds an MBA from Notre Dame and a PhD from the University of Chicago. Her research, published in leading journals such as the Journal of Political Economy and The Accounting Review, examines how information asymmetry and trade credit impact supply chain contracts and market risk.

John G. Eberhardt
Executive Consultant, Order-to-Cash

John is an expert in order-to-cash management and revenue cycle optimization. He has had executive roles in the global consumer goods and manufacturing industries, including GM-Customer Financial Services at Nikon Americas Inc., Director of Corporate Credit at Pentair, and Director of Customer Financial Services at Coltec Industries Inc.

John's many years of corporate finance experience has included managing global credit collections teams as well as procurement, internal audit, and treasury functions.   He is a graduate of Iona College School of Business Administration