Her Story
About Sarah
Sarah Hibbard is the Head of NA & EU Payments CS Strategy at Amazon, bringing 16 years of experience in customer service, payments, operations, and program management. She began her career with Amazon in 2012 as a Customer Service Agent and steadily advanced through leadership and operations roles before transitioning to Amazon’s Corporate Payments organization in 2019. Since then, she has progressed from Payments Program Manager to Senior Payments Program Manager, Operations Manager, and ultimately to her current leadership position, where she focuses on payments customer service strategy and customer satisfaction.
Throughout her career, Sarah has developed a strong reputation for process improvement, operational excellence, and customer-focused innovation. She has successfully led initiatives that improved efficiency and customer experiences while contributing significant value to the organization. Her leadership experience includes guiding cross-functional teams, developing payments strategies, improving customer service processes, and identifying opportunities to leverage technology and artificial intelligence while preserving the human element of customer interactions. Her approach is grounded in curiosity, continuous learning, and a commitment to understanding how systems work together and how they can be improved.
Sarah holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences and English Literature from Marshall University, with minors in French and Chemistry. She attributes much of her professional success to her enduring curiosity, which continually motivates her to explore new ideas, solve complex problems, and identify better ways of working. Empathy is the value she considers most important, both professionally and personally, as she believes understanding different perspectives strengthens relationships, workplaces, and customer experiences. Sarah also encourages others, particularly women entering the industry, to remain authentic, confident, and true to themselves while recognizing the unique value they bring to their careers and organizations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute much of my success over the past 16 years to my curiosity and commitment to continuous learning. I have never stopped asking how things work, how different systems interact, what can be improved, and how processes can be approached differently. This curiosity has encouraged me to continually learn, troubleshoot, experiment, and identify innovative ways to enhance products and customer experiences. My willingness to learn and grow beyond my formal education has enabled me to develop expertise across diverse areas and consistently find more effective solutions.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have received is to keep being myself. Throughout my career, I have learned that personalities will not always align and that women, in particular, can sometimes be unfairly categorized or placed into limiting stereotypes. Rather than changing who I am to meet others’ expectations, I have learned to remain confident in my abilities, stay authentic, and recognize the value I bring. I remind myself not to take everything personally, to remain true to my strengths, and to remember that what I bring to the table matters.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering my industry is to remember who you are and remain true to yourself. It is important not to become so consumed by your career or workplace dynamics that you lose sight of the other meaningful parts of your identity. Whether you are a mother, spouse, partner, daughter, sister, or friend, those roles are an important part of who you are. Bringing your whole, authentic self to work does not diminish your professionalism; instead, it can provide perspective, confidence, and balance that ultimately make you stronger and more effective in your career.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I see artificial intelligence as both one of the greatest opportunities and one of the biggest challenges in my industry. AI has tremendous potential to enhance customer service, improve payment success rates and retry strategies, streamline payment processing, and increase overall operational efficiency. At the same time, I believe businesses must be thoughtful about maintaining the human element that makes customer service meaningful and effective. The key challenge is finding the right balance between technology and human connection, recognizing that while some customers prefer convenient digital and automated experiences, others value the ability to speak directly with a person.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The value I consider most important in both my personal and professional life is empathy. I believe empathy is essential to creating strong workplaces, meaningful relationships, and positive customer experiences. Whether I am considering the needs of a customer, end user, team member, or stakeholder, taking the time to understand another person’s perspective makes collaboration more effective and productive. I also try to remember that most people are not acting from a place of bad intent, and approaching situations with empathy, patience, and understanding allows me to build stronger relationships, navigate challenges thoughtfully, and work more effectively with others.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.