Toronto FinTech Wave Inc. Announces Leadership Transition as the Company Embarks on the Next Phase of Its Growth
15 Juni 2022 - 2:00PM
After 12 years of leading Wave Financial Inc., the company’s CEO
Kirk Simpson is stepping down at the end of June. Simpson
co-founded the company in 2009 with James Lochrie and has been
serving as CEO since that time. The Toronto-based fintech provides
all-in-one financial management solutions for small business
owners, including industry-leading products like Wave Money. Wave
was acquired by H&R Block (NYSE: HRB) in 2019.
“At Wave we recently achieved an important milestone -- $100
million CAD in annual revenue. That is a milestone that many
entrepreneurs dream about but very few achieve,” said Simpson. “I
am an entrepreneur at my core, and this level of financial success
for Wave was the moment I realized it was time to pass the reigns
on to a new leader who will guide the company through its next
phase of growth. We accomplished what I always hoped we would do –
build a business that lives and breathes to support small business
owners in their very personal journey. Serving this community has
been a gift. I feel grateful to all of the Wavers past and present
who I got to work with through this amazing journey. I know the
strong team at Wave today will continue to push to innovate on
behalf of our amazing customers. I wish all Wavers continued
success, and I’ll be rooting for them as I look ahead to my next
adventure.”
Zahir Khoja Named Wave CEOZahir Khoja will
become Wave’s CEO effective July 1. Khoja most recently served as
General Manager, North America at Afterpay, a leader in “Buy Now,
Pay Later” payments where he led the rapid market expansion
overseeing sales, client relationships, business growth, and
partnerships. Khoja has significant fintech and financial services
experience, serving in various leadership roles for nearly a decade
at MasterCard, rising to Executive Vice President, Global Merchant
Solutions and Partnerships. At Wave, Khoja will report to H&R
Block President and CEO Jeff Jones, as a member of Block’s Senior
Leadership Team.
“I am excited to welcome Zahir as Wave’s CEO and a member of my
leadership team,” said Jones. “After a thorough search for Kirk’s
replacement, we were thrilled when we met Zahir who has an
entrepreneurial spirit, is a leader in the fintech industry, and is
ready to guide Wave’s future success.”
Simpson will remain in an advisory role for 90-days through
September. In addition, the current Wave leadership team, including
Chief Operating Officer Paul Marshall, Chief Financial Officer Tam
Khuu, Chief Financial Services Officer Les Whiting, Chief
Technology Officer Geoff Vona, and Chief People Officer Ashira
Gobrin will remain in their current roles reporting to Khoja.
“I am ecstatic to lead the next chapter of Wave’s success,” said
Khoja. “The company provides valuable services to small business
owners. The pandemic showed us that small businesses are
crucial to the health of the economy and our local
communities. They are a group worth fighting for and more
and more of them need the financial management tools that Wave
provides.”
About H&R Block H&R Block,
Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its
clients and communities everywhere through global tax
preparation, financial products, and
small business solutions. The company blends
digital innovation with the human expertise and care of its
associates and franchisees as it helps people get the best outcome
at tax time, and better manage and access their money year-round.
Through Block Advisors and Wave,
the company helps small business owners thrive with disruptive
products like Wave Money, a small business banking and bookkeeping
solution, and the only business bank account to manage bookkeeping
automatically. For more information, visit H&R Block
News or follow @HRBlockNews on
Twitter.
About WaveWave Financial Inc. (waveapps.com)
combines powerful money management tools with business banking
built for service-based small businesses. Wave’s comprehensive
platform includes accounting, banking, invoicing, payroll, and
payments software solutions, as well as bookkeeping services. Wave
Money, a business bank account, provides small business owners with
quick access to payments, and their bookkeeping is managed
automatically. Over 300,000 small businesses use Wave’s small
business software. Wave has won awards for growth, innovation, and
company culture, including Deloitte Fast 50, Deloitte North
American Fast 500, KPMG Fintech 100, CB Insights Fintech 250,
Canadian Innovation Awards (Financial Services), Canada’s Best
Workplaces and many more. Wave is a subsidiary of H&R Block.
Follow @WaveHQ for the latest news, insights and updates.
For Further Information
Media Relations: Angela Davied, (913) 302-0032,
angela.davied@hrblock.com
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