I remember sitting with Rod Drury many years ago at the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company chatting about Aftermail and what was, at the time, an idea on paper called Xero. We’ve all come a long way since then — a journey that has involved me advising and consulting to Xero along the way. Today our paths are converging again. 

Group Lark has been working with Xero on advancing their marketing strategy and plotting growth here and abroad. The opportunity is nearly limitless with the majority of small businesses not using any kind of platform to grow on. With the rise of mobile to become the 1st screen we use – and the arrival of beautiful software born in the cloud, that will change. Invoicing, paying employees and suppliers, checking cash-flow – all become activities we do anywhere, anytime, anyplace on Xero. The key here is “accounting” as we knew it goes from being a dedicated task to one we complete in the flow of business – simply and easily. And we then get to collaborate without friction or cost with our advisors. That’s a beautiful thing.

We’ve been a Xero customer for years – we love it. It is elegant, always there, and always getting better.

Come November I’ll be formalising my role with Xero as their Global CMO. We’ll remain in Sydney, a city the family has come to love – and from here I’ll work closely with the Xero teams here, New Zealand, the US and UK. I’ve had plenty of opportunities come my way but few that combine the growth, global scale and maturity of business to allow me to have a real impact.

Group Lark will continue to advise and work with clients as it always has through my journey’s elsewhere. I’m loving my work with the boards of Mighty River Power, SLI, Fronde and Simple – and will continue to make a difference to the fullest extent I can across all of them. 

While it feels like the Xero journey started for me sometime ago, its really just getting going. It’s going to be fun focusing my energy with such a great team on such a large opportunity.