Manish Nathwani receives Immigrant Spirit Award

Manish Nathwani, SHAZAM SVP of Enterprise Product & Marketing, received the 2025 Immigrant Spirit Award from the Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit during its 18th annual National Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit on Nov. 15 in Ankeny, Iowa.

The award recognizes a first-generation immigrant who demonstrates a lifelong commitment to professional excellence and altruism, with accomplishments that have a broad, positive impact on both the immigrant and larger community.

With more than three decades of experience in the payments industry, Nathwani is known for building impactful partnerships across payments and banking. Drawing on deep technological expertise and business insight, he delivers innovative, value-driven solutions to the marketplace.

Outside of work, Nathwani served for 10 years as president of the Indo-American Association of Iowa, a nonprofit organization founded in 1973 by a small group of Indian Americans.

Today, IAAI is one of the largest Indian community associations in the Des Moines metro area and across Iowa, promoting Indian culture and heritage while strengthening connections within the broader community. It hosts cultural, charitable and social events, and both IAAI and Iowa’s Indian community have been recognized by Iowa governors for their contributions to the state’s way of life.

Born in South Africa, Nathwani moved with his family to the United Kingdom before immigrating to the United States. He lives in Iowa with his wife and two children.

“I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful to receive this award,” Nathwani said. “This recognition is not only a personal milestone, but also a testament to the values of perseverance, excellence and service that have guided my journey."

"My lifelong commitment to professional business excellence and altruistic pursuits has always been rooted in a belief that success is most meaningful when it uplifts others," Nathwani added. "This award inspires me to continue creating opportunities, fostering growth and strengthening the communities we serve.”

In his role at SHAZAM, Nathwani leads the product, marketing, communications, learning and innovation teams. Together, they deliver a secure, engaging omnichannel experience for financial institutions. Under his leadership, SHAZAM’s integrated yet flexible platform supports banks and credit unions with core and digital banking, the debit network, payments processing and ancillary solutions, including card issuance and dispute management.

“Manish exemplifies true leadership,” said Terry Dooley, SHAZAM EVP and COO. “His expertise is indispensable to our organization, driving innovation and guiding us through complex challenges, and his commitment to sharing knowledge across the industry strengthens the community financial institutions we serve, ensuring a brighter, more resilient future.”

SHAZAM is a leading financial services and payments provider serving financial institutions across the United States. The organization is the only independent, member-owned debit network supporting community banks and credit unions. 

About SHAZAM
SHAZAM, Inc. is an innovator in debit card transaction processing and a leader in the U.S. payments space. The independent, member-owned organization supports banks, credit unions, fintechs and other businesses by enabling the secure and efficient movement of funds across U.S. payment rail systems. For more than 50 years, SHAZAM has reinvested profits into products and services used daily by its clients. As real-time payments continue to evolve, SHAZAM remains focused on advancing the technology that powers fast, secure money movement.

Media contact: PR@shazam.net