Employment Hero Strengthens APAC Leadership For NZ For Next Phase Of Growth To Support Kiwi SMEs

Auckland, New Zealand, 19 March 2026 — Employment Hero, the global leader in managing employment, today announced the appointment of James Keene to the newly created role of Managing Director, APAC - a move that underscores the company’s continued investment in New Zealand amid exceptional growth across the region.

The appointment marks an evolution in Employment Hero’s regional operating model. CEO and Co-founder Ben Thompson continues to lead the business globally, with James Keene stepping into the new role to drive execution across New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia.

James Keene, Managing Director, APAC, said Employment Hero is experiencing strong growth in New Zealand, with the number of customers growing 60% over the last two years.

“It’s a pivotal time for the company, which is focused on making employment easier and more valuable for Kiwi SMEs, employees and job seekers.

“The growth we’re seeing across New Zealand is exceptional. We’ve tripled our local team over the last two years to keep up with that momentum. Kiwi SMEs are currently dealing with a massive amount of complexity; a constant stream of regulatory changes, from the Holidays Act to shifting compliance standards and that makes being an employer incredibly difficult and high-risk.”

Bringing over a decade of experience leading commercial teams, Keene will lead the region’s next chapter of growth, executing Employment Hero’s strategy across go-to-market, customer experience, product adoption and team performance, while keeping the organisation focused on its mission to make employment easier and more valuable for everyone.

Keene has been part of the Employment Hero journey almost since inception, having joined in 2015 and progressing through a number of senior commercial leadership roles across the business, most recently as GM of Revenue, ANZ, where he helped accelerate growth and strengthen the foundations required to scale. Keene has been both a commercial and cultural leader across the region, driving an environment where innovation and customer impact is the sharp focus.

“I’m excited to step into this role at a time of real momentum for Employment Hero. We’re investing in initiatives that deliver more value for customers every day and that ultimately benefit the people and businesses we serve, from employers and employees to job seekers. My focus is on keeping our teams aligned, moving with pace and purpose, and continuing to make employment easier and more valuable for everyone.”

Ben Thompson, CEO and Co-founder, said Keene’s appointment highlights Employment Hero’s ongoing commitment to New Zealand’s employment market.

“In a market this regulated, businesses don’t just need more software tools to manage their admin; they need an integrated system that actually does the work for them. James Keene’s appointment as Managing Director for APAC is about bringing dedicated leadership to the region to help NZ businesses navigate the unique Kiwi employment landscape.

“Our latest data shows a real productivity challenge: hiring is up, but average hours worked have dropped by 4.7%. For a region like Otago, which saw a 24.4% surge in employment this year, that admin burden is a total handbrake. We are perfectly positioned to help because we’ve built the AI-native infrastructure that turns employment from a manual struggle into a seamless utility."

Employment Hero continues to develop leading AI-powered solutions aligned to its vision to become the world’s first human-centric AI employment platform, helping employers unleash productivity and business growth by automating everyday admin and compliance, and making employment easier and more valuable for everyone.

About Employment Hero

Employment Hero is the global authority on employment, offering a world-leading Employment Operating System (eOS) that simplifies and optimises every stage of the employment process. Its award-winning platform combines HR, payroll, recruitment, and employee engagement tools with the groundbreaking employment superapp, EH Work, which integrates career management and financial wellbeing. Serving over 350,000 businesses and managing more than 2.5 million employees worldwide, Employment Hero reduces administrative burdens by up to 80%, enabling organisations to focus on their goals and create more productive, engaged teams. By revolutionising the employment marketplace, Employment Hero is making employment easier, more valuable, and rewarding for everyone.

© Scoop Media