Vend announces Alex Fala as new CEO for next stage of growth

Vend announces Alex Fala as new CEO for next stage of global growth.

Vend confirms Kiwi growth leader and Rhodes Scholar as CEO to continue trajectory of New Zealand’s fastest growing tech company. (Deloitte Fast 50, 2015).

Auckland, New Zealand - Thursday, 9 June 2016 - The Vend Board today announced that they have appointed Alex Fala, former VP Strategy and CFO at Vend, as permanent CEO.

Alex Fala came to Vend from some of New Zealand’s top companies, as an executive member at Trade Me, Les Mills International, and Orion Health. Prior to that he was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, only the second person of Pacific Island ancestry to receive the world’s most exclusive scholarship.

Alex has been acting CEO since Vend founder Vaughan Rowsell stepped aside from the position in February to focus on his role as Chief Product Officer.

“Alex brings a breadth of experience from his consulting days and with iconic Kiwi growth companies, allowing me to make the move to concentrate on the product. A few months in and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. We conducted a global search and recruitment drive but it quickly became clear that Alex was the right person to take the helm for our next phase. The Board and I are thrilled he’s accepted the permanent role as Vend’s CEO.” Vaughan Rowsell, Vend Founder and Chief Product Officer.

“We’ve got an opportunity to be a global leader in our category and one of the great businesses coming out of New Zealand. We’re so well placed with the right team, product and partners. It’s been incredible to be part of the Vend journey so far and I’m raring to go in my new role.” Alex Fala, Vend CEO.

“Alex has been sensational in all his roles at Vend and that’s continued over his last 4 months as acting CEO. The team is performing extremely well, in no small part due to his leadership. Retailers are joining Vend’s platform faster than ever and staying with us longer, and our key performance metrics are in great shape. We’re well positioned for our next phase of growth.” Vend Chairman, Barry Brott of Melbourne-based Square Peg Capital.

Alex’s role is the latest in a series of appointments to the Vend Executive team and Board to further prepare the company for the next stages of international growth. Darryl Robinson (CFO) and Pene Barton (Chief People Officer) recently joined the Executive team following stints at Xero, a world class NZ-based technology company, and Ben Gracewood was promoted from within to Chief Delivery Officer. In addition, Sam Morgan was appointed to the Board with Barry Brott also moving into the Chair.

“It’s such an exciting time for Vend. We are still in the early days of a transformation in retail, enabled by the cloud. With Vend adding high-profile customers such as Jurlique and partnering with the likes of Apple and Xero we’ve never been better placed to drive that trend. The team here are looking forward to changing the lives of thousands more retailers around the world.” Alex Fala, Vend CEO.

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