Who is Airwallex's New Chief Financial Officer, Pranav Sood?

Global financial platform Airwallex has named Pranav Sood as its new Chief Financial Officer, marking a significant step in its next stage of institutional expansion.

The appointment comes as the fintech, recently valued at US$8bn, accelerates its ambitions in what it describes as intelligent financial systems – an ecosystem where money, data and decision-making operate seamlessly together.

A return to commercial roots

Pranav joins from Bain Capital’s growth equity arm, where he focused on scaling technology businesses across the UK and Europe.

His return is somewhat of a homecoming – in his earlier tenure at Airwallex, he led the global marketing function and played a central role in establishing its EMEA presence.

This combination of external investment insight and deep familiarity with Airwallex’s commercial engine is set to inform the company’s evolving financial strategy.

“As Airwallex enters its next phase of growth, we need a CFO who is as much a commercial strategist as a financial steward,” says Jack Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO of Airwallex.

“Pranav is a rare leader who balances rigorous financial discipline with a builder’s mindset. 

“His experience at Bain Capital, combined with his intimate knowledge of our commercial drivers and the fintech vertical, make him the ideal CFO to guide our financial strategy through this next chapter.”

European expansion and investment

Pranav will be based in London, which continues to serve as a central hub for the company’s global expansion efforts.

He steps into the role following a US$1.1bn investment commitment to the EMEA region.

This capital injection aligns with plans to recruit around 100 senior engineers across the UK and the Netherlands, reinforcing the firm’s technical capabilities.

Pranav says: “Airwallex is a once-in-a-generation company that is fundamentally rewriting the rails of global banking.

“Returning to Airwallex feels like coming home to a mission that is more critical than ever.

“My goal is to ensure our finance function acts as a catalyst for innovation and scale, providing the robust framework required as we solidify our position as a cornerstone of the global financial economy.”

Securing a leader who combines financial discipline with a builder’s mindset is seen as critical to driving greater efficiency.

By reducing reliance on fragmented systems, the company aims to leverage its unified framework to support continued commercial growth.

What’s the broader play?

Pranav will take responsibility for overseeing the deployment of the recent EMEA funding, ensuring that significant investments in engineering and regional infrastructure translate into sustainable, long-term revenue growth.

The appointment follows closely on the company’s acquisition of revenue recognition and reconciliation specialist Leapfin.

The deal is intended to strengthen Airwallex’s financial suite, expanding its capabilities across the full financial lifecycle.

At the time, Jack noted that Leapfin had “solved a notoriously difficult engineering problem by turning messy transactional data into an auditable, single source of truth”.

Alongside accelerating reconciliation processes, the acquisition is also designed to eliminate reliance on manual spreadsheets, replacing them with automated workflows.