Matt leads the global sales and customer success teams. His role is pivotal to ensure ApprovalMax continues to grow in the Xero ecosystem and the company’s global customer base continues to get value from the product. ‍

Kylie: Welcome to the team, Matt – we’re so pleased that you’ve joined ApprovalMax at such an exciting time of growth! We currently have just over 100 team members who are spread across 30 different countries. What inspired you to join ApprovalMax?

Matt: I’m really excited to be joining the team! The growth to-date speaks for itself, picking up several Xero awards and being shortlisted for others recently in several geographies is a testament to the great work the team is doing. Speaking with the Founders highlighted the exciting new product developments that are planned to continue this growth trajectory and I like that we are expanding into new markets with a goal of being an end-to-end accounts payable solution of choice.

Having come from another company within the Xero ecosystem, I was already familiar with ApprovalMax’s great reputation and best-in-class product. I’m glad I get to keep working in the cloud accounting industry because it’s great to be part of a mission where we help accountants, bookkeepers, and SMEs worldwide have a tangible impact on society. ‍

Kylie: We definitely have a ripple effect when it comes to our impact and the communities we serve, so you’ve joined the right team. Tell me about your background and what I’d find out about you if I was to look on your LinkedIn profile.‍

Matt: I originally have a legal background, working in-house for a small-cap listed technology company in the UK. I transferred internally to head up their customer experience department after realising that I enjoy being in the driver’s seat and making decisions, rather than reactively acting on decisions in a purely legal sense! This experience gave me first-hand experience of board meetings and the impact that internal red tape can have on growth. If only we had ApprovalMax and some of the other leading ecosystem apps to help!

In late 2018, I joined the management reporting and forecasting app, Fathom, to launch their UK office. The role was to grow the revenue base significantly and I became their Head of Growth (EMEA), leading go-to-market activities in the EMEA region, primarily the UK and South Africa. Helping thousands of SMEs and advisors globally to change how they view forecasting and management reporting was a greatly rewarding experience and showed me first-hand the impact that great AccounTech can make to businesses globally. ‍

Kylie: We have something in common. My previous role was also working for another company in the Xero ecosystem where management reporting and forecasting was a huge part of the value proposition. Helping SMEs and accounting firms understand the story behind the numbers was a big part of the inspiration. Now that you’re on a new adventure with us, what opportunities are you looking forward to diving into?‍

Matt: ApprovalMax is at such an exciting stage of growth, with all the recent and future product launches. I’m keen to work with the sales and marketing team to reach more of our target market to promote how ApprovalMax can really help lead the way forward!

A really recent example is the ApprovalMax and Airwallex integration for UK businesses, providing an end-to-end accounts payable solution, ensuring a seamless experience for our customers in preventing fraud and implementing in-house financial controls. It’s great that we’re using Airwallex’s financial technology inside ApprovalMax to help businesses not only with payments, but scale across borders. ‍

Kylie: Absolutely. We’ve just given our UK accounting partners another way to add value with this service without requiring access to client bank accounts. It’s automating the steps from approving it, to processing it, to paying it. I think it’s fantastic that our team has created a faster and smoother workflow, and that it can be done without having to leave the ApprovalMax platform.

‍Matt: Outside of that, we also want to continue making our existing customers happy and provide them with world-class customer support – this is particularly important as we scale to new markets and geographies. Personally, I’m also looking forward to continuing to advance our relationship with Xero accountants and bookkeepers, and assisting them with implementing in-house financial controls and workflows to their clients. That’s important because it ultimately adds deeper value to their relationships.

I want to also add to that list the new corporate identity and brand direction that your team has been heavily involved in – what was the story behind the new branding

‍Kylie: The ApprovalMax story is interesting because it goes as far back as 2014. The brand has evolved over the years, but at the end of 2022, we decided it was time for a new look. We wanted something that was deliberate, more modern, and software relevant. We exchanged our darker colours for ones that were brighter, lighter, and more energetic. It’s happening during a phase when there are a number of exciting internal changes and new people joining our team, such as yourself, Justin Campbell from Xero, Brendan Lucas as our Head of Accounting, and Cassandra Scott as our Head of Bookkeeping, just to name a few. Can you relate to the evolution of the brand, and why branding in SaaS is important?‍

Matt: The new brand looks clean and concise, which for me is imperative to stand out in any market. The timing is perfect as we move into a new stage of growth with a more comprehensive product. The new brand reflects the new stage of the journey that we are now on. Branding is important in any business model but with SaaS it’s important to stay front of mind given the nature of the subscription model – people are reminded every month that they are paying for the service which means that every month you need to continue to prove the value. Having a strong brand plays a huge part in that, as does providing a top-tier customer experience of course. ‍

Kylie: The brand, the people, the product – all working nicely as one to help our customers go to the next level with their financial controls and more. Our latest product developments such as batch payment approvals for Xero users, and payments with Airwallex for UK businesses, mean customers get even more value. And our team growth means we’re able to put more into supporting customers around the world as we build out more features. We have plenty happening at ApprovalMax to keep readers of XU Magazine informed and engaged!