GoCardless launched in Australia in late 2018 and supported by an uptick in new merchants, has seen 78 per cent growth in payment processing volumes since August 2020. A fresh injection of resources from its December 2020 AUD $130M Series F raise will also see GoCardless expand its offering beyond bank debit into broader account-to-account payments, centered around Open Banking and instant payments, driven by Sales Director, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) Luke Fossett.

Fossett will build on more than two years of impressive leadership from Australian and New Zealand General Manager Carolyn Breeze, who will depart from her role on September 9, 2021.

Breeze, who was appointed to spearhead GoCardless’ foray into the Australian and New Zealand markets, was responsible for establishing ANZ as one of GoCardless’ fastest growing regions, with revenue growth of 185 per cent in the last 12 months, signing big-name SaaS merchants including Deputy, SiteMinder and Agriwebb, and establishing the company as a serious contender in the Australian payments landscape. Her contributions have been recognised as invaluable in laying the foundations for success in the region.

Her groundwork places GoCardless in good stead to solidify its position as the leading account-to-account payments provider for Australian enterprises, particularly as the company launches its open banking-driven innovation, and we launch the upcoming PayTo product via the New Payments Platform. PayTo will for the first time in Australia facilitate instant, secure payment collection for businesses.

Commenting on the achievements to date, Breeze said: “It has been an immensely rewarding experience establishing GoCardless in the ANZ market. I’m proud of the team, what we have delivered, and above all, the foundations we’ve set to help ANZ businesses thrive. I have loved supporting GoCardless’ mission to take the pain out of getting paid”.

Commenting on his vision for GoCardless in ANZ, Fossett said: “Carolyn is an unbelievable leader who I am so grateful to have worked with over the past 6 years. Carolyn has not only played an integral part in why GoCardless has gained a firm foothold in the market, she’s made an impact across so many of our global teams. I’m excited to build on this momentum with one of the most talented teams around. We look forward to driving the agenda around account to account payments in Australia and NZ, and providing merchants access to the benefits of regulated changes such as Open Banking, and both PayID and PayTo which will operate on the New Payments Platform rails. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be assisting businesses within an industry I’m so very passionate about”.

A seasoned expert with more than 15 years in the payments space, Fossett joined Caroyln as GoCardless’ first hire to lead the GoCardless ANZ sales team. In the five years prior, he held the position of Head of Market Development at PayPal’s Braintree platform, after a seven year stint as the Global Development Manager (Payments) at NAB.

He is currently based in GoCardless’ Melbourne office and will lead the company's local operations.