Xero wouldn’t be where it is today without the support of our partner community, and that includes our  Xero Partner Advisory Council (XPAC). That’s why we’re thrilled to announce our latest XPAC cohort for Australia.

The XPAC team is a group of experts connecting Xero to the community and industry alike. They  both challenge and champion the needs of the accounting and bookkeeping sector by engaging in open discussion, sharing industry insights, and providing actionable feedback.  

Made up of a diverse range of advisors from across the country,  XPAC ultimately seeks to make a difference to the lives of Xero partners, small businesses and their communities.

Meet our newest XPAC members

Each cohort remains on the Australian XPAC for two years. After putting the call out to the industry, we’re very excited to welcome nine new XPAC members, starting this month:

• Aly Garrett – Founder, All in Advisory
• Melanie Gock – National Systems & Innovation Manager, Grant Thornton
• Michele Grisdale – Founder & Director, Rainforest Bookkeeping
• Zac Hayes – Managing Director, HA Accounting
• Amar Latif – Co-Founder,  Mad Wealth
• Natalie Lennon – Founder & Director,  Two Sides
• Jarrod Morris – Partner, Pitch Labs (Pitcher Partners)
• Grace Occleshaw – Client & Advisory Manager BYO Group
• Mei Yong Wu – Director & Partner, knp Solutions

They’re joining five of the current cohort who will remain on the XPAC in a mentoring capacity, while continuing to provide their invaluable feedback to Xero.

• Beau Gaudron – Tech Ninja, GrowthWise
• Sarah Lawrence – Founder, Hot Toast
• Sarah Pilling – Partner, Bramble and Briar
• Jason Robinson – Director, Future Advisory
• Cassandra Scott – Director, Laurus Bookkeeping

Working together for the wider Xero community

Beau Gaudron of GrowthWise says XPAC is about working together to represent the voice of Xero’s community. “Since being on XPAC, it’s been great to be able to work with industry peers and the teams responsible for Xero’s product to help guide and develop new features,” he says.

“We’ve been able to discuss ideas for products and workflows with other XPAC members to get a unique perspective on the intricacies and differences that we all have in our different businesses.  XPAC is not just a voice of the individuals that are in it but of the wider Xero community as a whole.”

Cassandra Scott, who is also returning to XPAC for a second tenure, says the role is one of strong support: “It’s advocacy from Xero to the partner community, but more importantly, from the partner community back to Xero.”

“It’s important that we have the ability to represent Xero back to our community – and support a platform for balanced dialogue between Xero and the partner community, and being able to challenge both, in the ongoing development and utilisation of the Xero product,” she says.

The new XPAC cohort will meet together for the first time in Melbourne at the end of May, where they’ll get a chance to connect with the Xero team and consult together on a broad range of topics from strategy to product development. We’re thrilled to have this new group of accounting and bookkeeping partners join our XPAC, and we’re looking forward to working with them to continue delivering a beautiful platform for our community.

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