Rod Drury

Founder and CEO of Xero

Rod Drury is CEO and founder of NZX-listed Xero, an online accounting solution for small businesses.

He is one of New Zealand’s leading technology entrepreneurs, a member of the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame, New Zealand Hi-Tech Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006 and 2007, World Class New Zealander for ICT in 2008, and an Honorary Fellow of the NZ Computer Society.

Rod is a Director of the New Zealand Stock Exchange, was a Director of TradeMe when it was sold to Fairfax Media and is a member of Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Commerce Advisory Board.

Rod is also a founder and Director of Pacific Fibre, a new international fibre cable project connecting Australia and NZ to the USA.

The Internet is allowing New Zealanders to connect to anyone, anywhere in seconds, transforming our position in the globe. It’s time for a New Zealand strategy, leveraging the fact we are small enough to get together, in order for us to step change New Zealand’s place in this new digital world.