Pranav Sood will be responsible for an EMEA team of more than 100 people and continuing the strong growth trajectory Airwallex has experienced in the region since 2019

Airwallex has appointed Pranav Sood as its new general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to oversee the cross-border payments fintech’s next phase of growth in the region.

Sood will be responsible for an EMEA team of more than 100 people and continuing the strong growth trajectory the fintech has experienced in the region since 2019.

He will be in charge of its strategy, growth, operations, product development and talent across the EMEA, while being a director designate of Airwallex in the UK and the Netherlands.

Airwallex’s new EMEA general manager joins from GoCardless, where in his most recent role as vice president of small business he led a global, cross-functional team responsible for all aspects of the customer journey and the majority of the company’s revenue. 

During his tenure, Sood oversaw a doubling in GoCardless’s SME revenue, growing its active customer base to around 75,000.

In his almost five years at GoCardless, Sood also took on other leadership roles, leading its growth into North America, Australia and across Europe, as well as company strategy and fundraising.

Commenting on the appointment, Jack Zhang, co-founder and chief executive officer at Airwallex, said: “I am excited to welcome Pranav to Airwallex as we strengthen our foothold in EMEA. His fintech expertise alongside his strong track record and ability to scale businesses will be invaluable as we continue to grow our presence in the region, providing a full suite of payment solutions through our diversified product stack.”

“I look forward to having Pranav onboard, as we look towards becoming a truly global technology business that supports the entrepreneurs, business builders and makers with opportunities in every corner of the world.”

Sood said: “Globalisation and digitalisation have driven an explosion in cross-border payment volumes over the past few years. Airwallex sits at the heart of both of these trends, with its financial infrastructure already enabling thousands of businesses around the world to grow without borders.”

“Over the past couple of years, I’ve witnessed the business’ rapid growth across EMEA and I couldn’t be more excited to be joining a stellar EMEA team at such a critical juncture.”

Image: Airwallex