By: Steph SchroederThe neteffects team would like to give a shout out the Digital Enablement Service team at MasterCard and Mike Weaver, of Monsanto®, both for being recognized for their contributions to the IT world at this year’s Gateway to Innovation Summit in St. Louis.MasterCard’s Digital Enablement Service (MDES) was duly noted as Innovative IT Project of the Year. Yep, that’s right, if you’re sick and tired of your debit and credit cards being compromised every other minute, MasterCard® is ready to cure what ails you!

You know the technology behind Apple Pay? The one that allows you to pay with your iPhone 6? Well, it was MasterCard’s brilliant IT team who came up with that one. According to their Chief Emerging Payments Officer (now that’s dedication to innovation), Ed McLaughlin, using this system offers far greater security than standard credit/debit card usage and is much more convenient than cash. Who carries cash anymore?The future is finally here thanks to their innovative team of technology engineers. And we can’t thank them enough for leading the way to saving us from having to cancel and reorder all of our existing cards one more time.

And lastly but not least, Mike Weaver was awarded Technology Leader of the Year! Way to go, Mike! Let’s break this down shall we? In order to get Technology Leader of anything, one might assume that he must be pretty darned IT savvy. And one would be correct. But what makes Mike noteworthy is his combination of innovative ideas and executions with his phenomenal leadership skills.He not only implemented some pretty ingenious systems for Monsanto, but he created a culture of innovation and inspired an entire organization with his leadership. His knack for encouraging new ways of thinking and doing, has resulted in a departmental growth from 150 people to more than 550! Creating jobs and inspiring those who fill them is what makes Mike deserving of such an honor.We’re so proud of St. Louis and the innovation that is bursting out of our home town! Congrats to Monsanto and MasterCard for you dedication to innovation and creative disruption!