Xero, which makes online accounting software, has appointed Ben Richmond to U.S. country manager, and Will Buckley to Canada country manager, as part of its strategy to develop full service teams in each country.
Both Richmond and Buckley have been with Xero some years, and will now be responsible for driving Xero’s growth in their regions and working with country teams to accelerate key partner channels.
Richmond started his career in a large regional accounting practice before working for New Zealand’s biggest telecommunications company where he focused on Securities and Exchange Commission compliance and investor reporting. He joined Xero in New Zealand in 2013 to lead growth for the company in New Zealand and to spearhead Xero’s global strategy in the agriculture sector. Richmond was instrumental in launching Xero’s Farming in the Cloud solution. He previously served as vice president of business growth on the Xero Americas leadership team.
Buckley brings more than a decade of experience across public accounting practice, corporate M&A finance, commercial finance and technology to his new role as Canada country manager. Prior to joining Xero, he founded buckleybrown, a cloud accounting practice for small business owners in Australia that has been recognized as a Xero Gold Partner. Buckley most recently served as Xero’s first Canadian director and led the charge to launch Xero in Canada in 2018.
“Both Ben and Will have already played an instrumental role in driving Xero's adoption across the U.S. and Canada, increasing the success of our accountants, bookkeepers and small businesses,” Tony Ward, president of Xero Americas, said in a statement. “The experiences they bring from Xero's business in Australia and New Zealand will help Xero scale across North America, ultimately giving more small businesses and their communities the chance to prosper. We have a massive opportunity in front of us since less than 10 percent of small businesses in North America have adopted cloud accounting services. I am excited to see Ben and Will continue to break new ground in their regions, build their teams and drive new growth in their respective countries.”
