Small business is a critical engine of job creation, economic growth, innovation, and a driver in our efforts to recover from a global pandemic. Fifteen years ago a start-up company from New Zealand called Xero was founded with the purpose of making life better for people in small business and their advisors. Xero achieved this by shifting accounting practices to the cloud and providing an open set of APIs which has enabled more than 1000 application partners to build affordable tech solutions connected to the Xero platform. Steve Vamos, CEO discusses how Xero is revolutionizing the way small businesses do business by using cloud and its platform to connect real-time data, with bespoke business solutions that help small business owners be more successful. Steve speaks to a number of key initiatives that will change the game for startups and entrepreneurs who want to innovate and collaborate on the Xero platform, and he will explain how Xero’s vision extends beyond just technology to galvanizing a global community of support and purpose to help small businesses everywhere.

Speakers

Steve Vamos — Chief Executive Officer, Xero

Steve leads the growth and performance of Xero – a small business platform with over 2.7 million customers in over 180 countries. He is a respected thought leader, who brings more than four decades of experience in global technology to a company that has a purpose to make life better for people in small business, their advisors and communities around the world through cloud-based integrated business solutions. Today, Xero has a set of open APIs which enables over 1000 app partners and more than 300 global financial institutions to collaborate and build affordable solutions for small businesses. With Steve at the helm, Xero has expanded its platform services with the acquisitions of companies including Waddle, Tickstar, and Planday — and this year, Xero was certified carbon neutral across its owned and operated businesses. Throughout his career, Steve has been Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, CEO of ninemsn, Vice President of Online Services at Microsoft Corporation, and Vice President and Managing Director of Apple Computer Asia Pacific. Steve is passionate about building great teams and a business culture that empowers people to drive innovation.