Who is Thomas Priore? Career, Leadership at Priority, and 2025 Outlook

Thomas Priore has transformed a 2005 fintech startup into Priority, a publicly traded company generating $879.7 million in annual revenue while processing over $130 billion in transactions for 1.2 million customers. As CEO of one of the leading non-bank merchant acquirers in the United States, Thomas Priore leads a unified commerce platform that ranked #45 on Forbes’ 2025 list of America’s Most Successful Small-Cap Companies. His educational background includes degrees from Harvard and Columbia Business School, complemented by eight years at PaineWebber and founding experience with ICP Capital, where he managed over $20 billion in assets. Yet Priore’s leadership philosophy extends far beyond traditional Wall Street metrics, emphasizing what he calls “care-first leadership” rooted in a work ethic learned from his grandfather, a landscaper who taught him that 2success requires working “half a day—12 hours.”

From Wall Street to Fintech Pioneer: Thomas Priore’s Career Trajectory 

Thomas Priore’s professional journey began on Wall Street, where he spent eight years at PaineWebber developing expertise in financial services and capital markets. This foundation prepared him for his next venture: founding ICP Capital, an investment management firm that grew to oversee more than $20 billion in assets under management. These experiences provided Priore with deep insights into both institutional finance and entrepreneurial leadership that would prove invaluable when he co-founded Priority in 2005.

The early vision for Priority reflected Thomas Priore’s prescient understanding of technology’s role in financial services. Twenty years ago, the concept of integrating software and payments into a single platform was, as Priore recently noted, “a novel idea.” However, his Wall Street background enabled him to recognize the inefficiencies in fragmented financial systems that most businesses were forced to navigate. When Priore assumed the CEO role in December 2018, Priority was already established as a payments processor, but his strategic vision transformed it into what the company now calls a “connected commerce platform.”

Under Thomas Priore’s leadership, Priority has executed a series of strategic acquisitions that demonstrate disciplined capital allocation and market expansion. The 2023 acquisition of Plastiq brought additional B2B payment capabilities and working capital optimization tools into Priority’s ecosystem. The January 2025 purchase of Rollfi added payroll and benefits software, positioning Priority in the embedded payroll market projected to reach $43 billion by 2026. Most recently, the October 2025 acquisition of Dealer Merchant Services added approximately $3 million in incremental 4Q revenue while adding a new vertical market, automotive dealerships.

These acquisitions reflect Thomas Priore’s systematic approach to building comprehensive financial solutions rather than pursuing growth for its own sake. The integration success rate has been remarkable, with Priority reporting that 62% of its adjusted gross profit now comes from recurring revenue sources; a testament to Priore’s focus on sustainable business models.

The financial results validate Priore’s strategic direction. Priority achieved 16.4% year-over-year revenue growth in 2024, while adjusted EBITDA surged 21.3% to $204.3 million. Operating income grew an impressive 63.7% to $133.4 million, reflecting the operational leverage inherent in Thomas Priore’s platform approach. These metrics contributed to Priority’s recognition by CNBC as one of the world’s top fintech companies for three consecutive years.

Thomas Priore’s leadership philosophy draws heavily from his personal background and family influences, emphasizing what he describes as persistent effort and dedication. His grandfather’s work as a landscaper instilled a commitment to hard work that Priore credits as fundamental to his approach. “My grandfather used to tell me, ‘If you want to be successful, you work half a day.’ He literally meant half a day—12 hours,”. This work ethic translates into his disciplined personal routine, including a 25-year commitment to morning workouts that he considers essential to his productivity and leadership effectiveness. This dedication to consistency reflects a leadership approach that emphasizes perseverance and organizational resilience, what might be characterized as a focus on sustained effort over quick wins.

Strategic Vision and Industry Impact in 2025 

Priority’s current market positioning reflects both the opportunities and challenges facing mid-sized fintech companies in an increasingly competitive landscape. Priority serves 1.2 million customers while administering $1.4 billion in account balances, processing approximately 759 million transactions annually. This scale provides meaningful market presence without the bureaucratic constraints that often limit innovation at larger financial institutions.

The competitive differentiation that Thomas Priore has built centers on Priority’s unified commerce approach, which integrates collecting, storing, lending, and sending money into a seamless platform experience. While competitors like Fiserv leverage massive scale, processing 35.38 billion transactions worth $2.03 trillion annually, and fintech disruptors like Block (Square) focus on vertical specialization, Priore positions Priority’s comprehensive platform as addressing the full spectrum of business financial needs.

Thomas Priore’s insights on regulatory developments have proven particularly prescient. His contribution to the 2024 PYMNTS eBook “Beyond the Horizon” argued that “FinTechs that have invested in compliance, security and solid partnerships are well-positioned as regulation increases.” This perspective materialized when Moody’s upgraded Priority’s credit rating from B2 to B1 in 2025, specifically citing the company’s improved compliance posture and capital structure optimization under Priore’s leadership.

The company’s 2025 financial outlook reflects Thomas Priore’s balanced approach to growth and profitability. Priority projects revenue between $970 and $990 million, representing 10.2-12.5% growth, with adjusted EBITDA expected to reach $222.5-$227.5 million.

Thomas Priore’s role in Atlanta’s fintech ecosystem extends beyond Priority’s operations to broader industry leadership. His keynote presentation at Fintech South 2025 coincided with Priority’s 20th anniversary, where he emphasized the region’s evolution as a fintech hub. Priority employs over 1,000 people total, with 230 at its Alpharetta location. As he noted during a: “We’ve got an incredibly generous population of employees that support their communities in a host of regards.”

Looking ahead, Thomas Priore faces several strategic challenges that will test his leadership and vision. Intensifying competition from both traditional processors investing in modern platforms and fintechs expanding into B2B markets creates pressure on market share and pricing. Regulatory scrutiny of banking-fintech partnerships could impact Priority’s growth strategies, particularly in embedded banking services. Economic uncertainty might affect SMB payment volumes and credit quality, while ongoing technology infrastructure investments represent significant capital requirements.

However, Priore’s track record suggests he is well-positioned to navigate these challenges. His systematic approach to building sustainable competitive advantages, disciplined capital allocation, and focus on operational excellence have created a platform capable of competing effectively across market cycles. Thomas Priore’s transformation of Priority from a traditional payment processor to a connected commerce platform demonstrates the strategic vision and execution capability that positions the company for continued success in the evolving fintech landscape.

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