Arise Sir Rod: Xero founder knighted in New Zealand new year honours

The founder of ASX-listed accounting platform Xero is now Sir Rod Drury after being appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Sir Rod was knighted for his services to business, the technology industry and philanthropy in New Zealand’s New Year honours

Drury founded Xero in 2006, taking it public in just a year later raising NZ$15 million at a NZ$55 million in an IPO on the NZX. In 2012, the cloud-based fintech dual-listed on the ASX.

Xero has grown to become New Zealand’s second largest tech exporter, generating thousands of jobs across more than 25 locations, with more than four million customers globally. Drury served as its CEO until 2018.

The company set a benchmark in the tech industry, when Drury established the Xero Staff Welfare Trust to support staff in times of need. He helped drive digitisation initiatives such as online GST and the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN).

Prior to founding Xero, he had early tech success with the software development and consulting company,  Glazier Systems, which he founded in 1995, then sold four years later for around $7.5 million. Context Connect and then email archiving firm where his next ventures, the latter would fund Xero’s launch after selling AfterMail to Quest Software for US$45 million in 2006.

Since 2020, Sir Rod has focused on public-good infrastructure and philanthropy projects, donating $1m to the charity Mana Tahuna to clean up Queenstown’s Lake Hayes, and funding equipment and facilities for Surf Lifesaving New Zealand. His support spans education, conservation and regeneration, renewable energy, retail payments architecture reform, electricity market disruption, and public policy advocacy.

He also established Southern Infrastructure to support Queenstown public infrastructure projects and Tāhuna Ride and Conservation Trust, combining world-class mountain biking with regenerative planting.

Last year he returned to startup life, backing and cofounding corporate and public sector messaging platform Corro, which is designed for security-conscious organisations, with Sara Goldsworthy.