Spenda in the Spotlight: Getting to know our Chief Product Officer, Dave Wood

With over 20 years’ experience in Software and Systems Design, Dave has been the visionary behind Spenda’s suite of products since 2008. He has played an instrumental role in building and launching Spenda into the market, and nowadays he carefully guides the development team to continually bring the Company’s vision to life to deliver innovative ways that simplify how businesses pay each other. 

Given software infrastructure is the cornerstone of Spenda, we wanted to get to know more about the man behind the product. We sat down with Dave to learn what he is working on and what makes Spenda a unique and powerful solution for businesses. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

The wonderful thing about Spenda is that every day is different and there is never a dull moment. My role is about being the customer advocate and making sure we are building solutions that directly help businesses, and that are easy to navigate and use.  

Each day I help our 32 strong development team manage their scope, define requirements, set priorities, plan the development sequence, and assist with general problem solving. I also work with the rest of the business on customer deliverables and managing feedback as well as liaising with our industry partners and scoping out solutions.  

What do you enjoy most about being a product leader?

I really like the challenge of not only creating something out of nothing, but more importantly, creating something from scratch that delivers a solid purpose. And in our case with Spenda, it’s about making business easier. The entire creation process of a digital solution, all the way from vision to delivery and everting in between, and then seeing that result come to life is extremely rewarding for me. 

In your opinion, what makes Spenda so unique?

Businesses tend to rely on many different systems to manage their operations. These systems often don’t talk to each other, which creates silos within a business and does not allow data to be captured properly and shared correctly across the business. This results in errors and inefficiencies that waste time and money.  

There are many businesses out there which offer different systems that solve only part of the equation for a how a business operates. Our key advantage is a combination of functionality where we offer one connected solution that integrates all business processes that take place before, during and after the payment event. The one stop for software, payment, lending, and integration is a truly exceptional offering.

What has been the most career defining moment for you so far?

We’ve had many successful product launches over the years and it’s hard to pick one specific accomplishment. I would say completing the transition from working in the business in a hands-on capacity within the development team to working on the business managing the product teams has been the most significant career defining moment. It has allowed me to step back and look at the way we build our software features with more of a strategic approach, and with the end user in mind. 

What is the next most exciting thing about the product that you can share?

Our latest Accounts Payable solution partnered with the Spenda Wallet is something genuinely exciting that we are working to finalise now. I’ve managed businesses before, and I wish these solutions were available then. It delivers a massive improvement in the Accounts Payable processing time, significantly improves payment security, and finally unlocks more payment options for businesses. Stay tuned for more, this is going to be a real gamechanger for businesses! 

Any tips for aspiring product leaders?

Surround yourself with the most skilled individuals you can find, then give them all the tools, support, and guidance you can so they are able to do their best work. 

Work aside, tell us three cool facts about you?

1. I like making stuff – From cooking to carpentry I really enjoy creating things, whether it’s cooking homemade pasta or a creating furniture from timber.
2. I like fixing stuff – I’m a bit of a part-time mechanic and my current project is a 16-year-old Mini Cooper which I work on most weekends.
3. I like driving stuff – I love to drive bikes and cars, as fast as possible. If we ever have a Spenda racing team I’d be putting my hand up for a go.

If you’d like to see Spenda in action, click HERE to book a demo. 

If think you’ve got what it takes to join the Spenda team, we are always on the look out for amazing talent, so hop on over to our Careers page and contact us.