Welcome back to another episode of ExtraMile by HiTechNectar, an interview series where we connect with industry leaders to explore the latest trends in technology, strategy, and business innovation.
Today, we are excited to welcome Mekaela Davis, Chief Partner Officer at Trintech. Trintech is a leading provider of cloud-based solutions that transform the financial closing process for thousands of companies worldwide. With over 18 years of experience building powerful alliances, Mekaela is now channeling her expertise to reimagine how a finance technology company and its partners can grow together.
Mekaela shares a major strategic shift in their company and demonstrates their commitment to partnerships as a core driver of growth and customer success. With an impressive background in alliance building, including partnerships with giants like KPMG and Workday, Mekaela is uniquely qualified to outline how strategic collaboration is changing the future of finance and accounting.
She shares her vision for a “360-degree approach to partner success,” how this ecosystem helps finance teams reclaim valuable time, and where she sees the next big wave of AI innovation hit the “Record to Report” space.
Join us for an enlightening conversation on how Trintech and its partner ecosystem for finance empower people to focus on what truly matters.
Hello Mekaela! We are excited to learn from your insights today.
Q1. Mekaela, you were appointed as Trintech’s first-ever Chief Partner Officer earlier this year. This itself signals a huge strategic shift. Can you tell us what the vision was behind creating this role, and what does a “360-degree approach to partner success” truly mean in practice?
Mekaela. We’ve seen firsthand the impact partners have on our business and our customer outcomes. Recognizing this function at the executive leadership level signals our commitment to building a best-in-class partner ecosystem for growth, innovation, and customer success.
The vision behind this role was to reimagine how Trintech engages, empowers, and grows with our partners — taking a truly 360-degree approach to partner success. That means looking beyond traditional channel enablement to focus on the entire partner lifecycle: how we attract the right partners, accelerate their ramp-up, co-sell and co-market together, and ultimately deliver greater value to customers through joint innovation and collaboration.
A 360-degree approach to partners means we’re aligning every part of our organization — sales, marketing, product, customer success, support — around our partner ecosystem. It’s about creating seamless connectivity between Trintech and our partners so that together we can drive growth, deliver exceptional customer outcomes, and expand our market impact.
My role is to ensure that partnerships aren’t just a contributor to our business — they’re a core multiplier of our strategy and success, and part of our company’s DNA.
Q2. Trintech’s mission is to “give people time back for what matters most.” In your view, how does having strong partners help finance teams get that time back?
Mekaela. At Trintech, our mission is to give people time back for what matters most—and strong partnerships are at the heart of achieving that. Partners play a critical role in removing friction for finance teams, whether it’s through seamless integrations, establishing better business practices, or delivering innovative solutions that streamline day-to-day work.
When finance professionals know they can depend on trusted partners, they gain both the confidence and the support needed to adopt new technologies and processes. This reduces the burden of manual, repetitive tasks and frees teams to focus on more strategic priorities—delivering insights, guiding business decisions, and driving impact across the organization.
That’s the real value of partnership: empowering finance teams to achieve more, with less stress, while reclaiming the time they deserve for what truly matters.
Q3. Trintech has two separate platforms, Adra and Cadency, for mid-sized and large customers. What is your view on how strategic partnerships close the gap between these various client bases and ensure each gets the proper solution and support?
Mekaela. At Trintech, we meet customers where they are. Adra gives mid-sized organizations a fast path to automation and streamlined processes, while Cadency is built to handle the scale and complexity of global enterprises. Having both platforms allows us to serve these distinct markets effectively—but it’s our partnerships that truly bridge the gap.
Our partners bring deep knowledge of our client base, helping us tailor solutions to the realities of their business. They ensure integrations run smoothly, deployments are right-sized, and support is aligned with the customer’s stage and scale. For a mid-sized company, that might mean rapid implementation and close guidance. For a large enterprise, it could involve global rollouts, regulatory compliance, or advanced automation strategies.
Through these strategic partnerships, every customer—regardless of size—receives not just the right solution, but also the expertise and support to unlock its full value. That’s how we ensure finance teams get both the tools and the confidence to reclaim time for what matters most.
Q4. You have an incredible background building alliances with giants like KPMG and Workday. What do you believe is the most compelling value proposition for a potential technology or consulting firm looking to partner with you?
Mekaela. We pride ourselves on being incredibly easy to do business with, agile in how we operate, and relentlessly customer-centric. We’ve built an ecosystem that thrives on collaboration — where our partners can move quickly, innovate confidently, and deliver measurable outcomes for joint customers.
We invest heavily in our partner community because we know that when our partners succeed, our customers succeed. Our human-centric approach means we listen, adapt, and co-create — not just around technology, but around real business challenges and opportunities. That mindset allows us to build something truly great together — solutions and experiences that deliver value faster and with more impact.
Our track record with global leaders like KPMG and Workday shows what’s possible: together, we’ve transformed the financial close for organizations worldwide.
Q5. Trintech is clearly a tech company, but your solutions solve very human problems like reducing manual, tedious work for accountants. How do you and your partner network ensure you stay connected to the actual day-to-day challenges of the finance professionals you serve?
Mekaela. You’re right—Trintech is a technology company, but at its core, it’s about the humans. We exist to reduce stress, eliminate tedious work, and give finance professionals back valuable time. To do that well, we have to stay deeply connected to the realities of their day-to-day work.
We keep that connection strong through customer advisory boards, user groups, and constant feedback loops. But our partners amplify this connection in powerful ways. Because they’re embedded with finance teams daily, they see firsthand where bottlenecks occur, what new regulations are creating pressure, and where automation can have the biggest impact.
By combining those ground-level insights with our innovation roadmap, we can prioritize solutions that matter most. That collaboration—between Trintech, our partners, and our customers—is what ensures our technology doesn’t just check a box. It genuinely makes life easier for finance teams, helping them focus less on reconciliations and more on driving value for their business.
Q6. With a strong focus on AI, like the new Adra Journal Entry Module, where do you see the next big innovation in the “Record to Report” space coming from? And how are you preparing your partner ecosystem for that future?
Mekaela. AI is already transforming the Record to Report process, and our Adra Journal Entry Module is just the first step. The next wave of innovation will come from expanding AI’s role beyond automating single tasks to orchestrating the entire financial close. Imagine AI not only preparing journal entries, but also predicting risks, flagging anomalies in real time, and delivering proactive insights that empower finance teams to make faster, smarter decisions.
Preparing for that future requires an ecosystem approach. We’re aligning with partners who can help customers adopt AI responsibly, integrate it seamlessly into their environments, and maintain the compliance and controls that finance depends on. Together, we’re ensuring that the shift to AI doesn’t just accelerate processes—it elevates them.
By investing in these partnerships today, we’re setting the stage for a future where the close isn’t just faster, but truly intelligent and strategic.
Q7. With more than 18 years in the field, you have witnessed the industry change significantly. What is one thing you would advise professionals who wish to establish a career in developing and managing strategic tech partnerships?
Mekaela. If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be this: partnerships are always about people first, technology second. The best technology in the world won’t matter if you can’t build trust and alignment with the people behind it. Lead with curiosity, empathy, and a genuine desire to understand the goals of your partners, your company, and your customers.
When you focus on creating that alignment, you move beyond transactional relationships and into true collaboration. That’s where lasting value is built—where everyone grows together, and where the impact goes far beyond a single deal or integration.
Q8. What changes do you see coming in finance and accounting over the next five years, and how are you getting ready to adjust your partner strategy for them?
Mekaela. Finance and accounting are in the midst of one of the most significant transformations the profession has ever seen. In the next five years, I see three major shifts reshaping the landscape: accelerated automation, the rise of AI to drive real-time insights, and a heightened demand for agility as finance evolves into a true strategic partner to the business. Finance teams won’t just be tasked with closing the books—they’ll be expected to guide decision-making in the moment.
That future demands a new level of collaboration, which is why our partner strategy is evolving in lockstep. We’re prioritizing partnerships that bring innovation, specialized expertise, and proven best practices to the table. From delivering AI-enabled solutions, to navigating complex compliance requirements, to enabling global scale—our partners are essential to helping customers not just adapt, but lead.
By aligning more closely with our partner ecosystem today, we’re building the foundation for finance organizations to thrive tomorrow—empowering them to move faster, think smarter, and focus on the work that drives real impact.
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