Fifteen years ago, Rod and the Xero foundation team took the first steps to bring the vision of accounting software in the cloud to life and scaling a purposeful, global Software as a Service (SaaS) business from New Zealand.

From our beginnings at a kitchen table in a Wellington apartment, to offices in more than 20 cities around the world, it’s been quite a journey. A journey built on the support and belief of our bookkeepers, accountants, the broader Xero partner community, and our people. I’m proud to share that several of the Xero team from those early days are still with us – Craig Walker, Fletch Brown, Larissa Paris, and Catherine Walker (OG) are all celebrating their 15 year anniversaries this year.

They have been joined by many more and today, we have over 3,500 people working to bring Xero to millions more small businesses and their advisors around the world.

Introducing Xero Day

In recognition of it being 15 years since Xero was registered as a company, we’re launching Xero Day. Xero Day will be an annual calendar event when we celebrate and acknowledge the people, customers, partners and communities who have played an important role in our success.

I sat down with Rod to talk about our plans for Xero Day and key moments in Xero’s journey so far.

Supporting our communities

Our purpose is to help improve the lives of people in small businesses, their advisors and communities all around the world. For us, this includes contributing to impactful community causes, so we are kicking off our inaugural Xero Day with a NZ $15,000 donation to each of the eight charities we supported through the 2020-21 Xero Community Appeal.

These charities are; Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) globally; Beyond Blue in Australia; Women’s Refuge in New Zealand; Save the Children in Asia; Advancement Project in the United States; Black Business Professional Association in Canada; Samaritans in the UK; and Won Life in South Africa.

We’re proud to support these organisations, who help people in their communities build mental health and resilience; access frontline COVID-19 support; progress racial equality and justice; provide safe harbour for women facing domestic abuse; and equip under-resourced teachers to deliver quality education.

Once again, thank you all for your support and for helping make Xero what it is today. Happy Xero Day.