Joseph Lyons has been named as the new CEO of ELMO Software, effective as of now. The Australian-based HR technology platform announced the appointment of Lyons, who will be focusing on accelerating the company's growth across ELMO Software’s business operations in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, along with Breathe HR in the UK.

Lyons previously held the position of Managing Director, APAC, at the global small business platform Xero, where he was charged with driving growth in both well-established markets such as Australia and New Zealand, as well as emerging markets across Asia. Prior to that, he served as the Chief Commercial Officer at the REA Group, where he led teams across a broad range of functions, including sales, customer relations, product development, marketing, technology and communications.

Bruce Gordon, Chairman of ELMO Software, pointed out the main qualities they established for their new CEO: "We were looking for two main attributes in a new CEO: an exceptional track record of scaling tech companies in Australia, New Zealand, and across the globe, and deep experience in building high-performing customer-centric teams. Joseph has demonstrated these attributes at the highest level and is an exceptional cultural fit for the ELMO Group of companies and for our valued customers."

Lyons will assume his new role replacing the company’s incumbent President, Nord Samuelson, who has been performing the duties of interim CEO since July 2023. Expressing his enthusiasm for his new role, Lyons said: "I am excited to join the talented team at ELMO and look forward to building on the company's 21-year heritage and strong foundations to shape the next chapter of success, both in Australia, New Zealand and the UK."

Lyons highlighted ELMO’s potential for further growth, saying: "While ELMO has grown rapidly over the past three years with a strong focus on direct and partner channels, there is still a huge opportunity to provide high-impact HR software solutions to mid-sized organisations that meet their increasingly complex needs."

Alongside Lyons' appointment, additional changes to ELMO's executive staff were noted. Sarah Dart joined the company in the newly created position of Chief Customer Officer, bringing with her extensive experience from SaaS organisations. Joshua McKenzie was named Chief Technology Officer, having formerly served as CTO at home loan provider Lendi Group. And ELMO’s current CFO, James Haslam, has broadened his role with the addition of the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer.

Founded in 2002, ELMO Software is the provider of HR technology solutions to 3,000+ organisations and two million end users across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. With a comprehensive suite of ISO-certified solutions that span the full employee lifecycle, ELMO Software is designed to scale as organisations grow.