Payrexx appoints new CFO: At just 24 years old, Hendrik Schulenburg takes over as financial director of the Swiss payment provider

Hendrik Schulenburg has been with Payrexx since 2021 and in a short time has worked his way up from a working student to CFO. During this time, he has made an important contribution to the company’s further development and driven forward pioneering processes.

Over the past four years at Payrexx, Hendrik Schulenburg has proven himself to be an extremely reliable, analytically strong and responsible colleague. He knows our company as well as the payments market down to the last detail and brings an extraordinary level of commitment that goes far beyond the ordinary. His structured way of working, his pronounced understanding of numbers and his ability to make well-founded decisions even under pressure have convinced us to entrust him with this key responsibility.

Ivan Schmid

Managing Director of Payrexx AG

With this appointment, Payrexx reaffirms its conviction that it is not age or years of professional experience that are in the foreground, but expertise, integrity and entrepreneurial thinking. Hendrik embodies exactly those qualities that are crucial for sustainable and forward-looking financial leadership – especially in the dynamic SME environment in which Payrexx operates as market leader.

Since its founding in 2015, Payrexx has established itself at its Thun location. Today, the company has more than 45 employees and is among the most innovative FinTechs in the region. With the appointment of Hendrik Schulenburg, Payrexx also wants to contribute to regional talent development and to strengthening Thun as a growing FinTech centre.

In the conversation, Schulenburg provides insights into his career path as well as his view of the future of digital payments and his vision for the coming years.

How did it happen that you are already CFO at Payrexx at 24?

Hendrik Schulenburg: “I have been interested in business topics from an early age. Therefore, I completed my Bachelor in Business Administration at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and joined Payrexx as an intern while I was still studying. That was over four years ago now, and since then I have been able to accompany the company in various roles, experience many exciting developments and gradually take on more responsibility. The combination of finance and strategic further development fascinates me a lot, and I am grateful to the Board of Directors and the Executive Board for the trust they place in me with this role.”

Was it always your goal to become CFO?

“The goal of becoming CFO one day developed over time at Payrexx. The insights I was able to gain and the topics I was allowed to work on showed me that I would like to carry the corresponding responsibility one day. I am very pleased to now get this opportunity at Payrexx.”

What makes Payrexx a special employer for you?

“On the one hand, the market itself – the payments industry is incredibly exciting, constantly moving and offers a lot of room for innovation. On the other hand, I am impressed by how Payrexx has built up a strong position in the Swiss payments market over the past ten years with a lot of commitment and customer proximity. We are particularly proud that Payrexx was chosen in 2023 in the national online retailer survey ahead of providers such as PayPal, Worldline or PostFinance as the most popular provider for Swiss SMEs.

That is exactly what Payrexx means to me: innovation with a clear focus on the needs of SMEs – with a solution that simply works and offers real added value for SMEs.”

What does leadership mean to you in a FinTech like Payrexx?

“Leadership at Payrexx means to me understanding the needs of the customers and the market, always staying agile and innovative, and working together towards a clear goal. This is what is needed to hold our own in a dynamic market environment.”

How do you see the development of the payments industry?

“I am convinced that both online and physical business will continue to move towards simplification and efficiency. For example, we can already observe that Instant Payments – i.e. real-time bank transfers – are gaining relevance globally, and it will only be a matter of time before this also becomes established in the Swiss market. Changes will also come at the point of sale. The classic payment terminal (POS terminal), as it is known today in retail, will increasingly be replaced in the coming years by so-called SoftPOS solutions: a regular smartphone or tablet is transformed into a fully-fledged payment terminal – all without additional hardware. This technological development makes card payments more flexible, cheaper and more efficient – especially for small businesses and mobile providers.

For companies, it is important to stay up to date with such trends and choose the right payment provider. It is therefore particularly pleasing that Payrexx will in future be able to offer its customers both of the above-mentioned solutions.”

And where do you see Payrexx in 5 years?

“The question is particularly exciting. Payrexx is continuously evolving and has recently also been processing point-of-sale payments (payments directly at the physical point of sale, e.g. at the checkout or on site with the customer) in addition to e-commerce payments, making it a true omni-payment provider. That is why I see Payrexx in 5 years as the number 1 in the omni-payment sector for SMEs in Switzerland. Payrexx’s all-in-one solution with all important Swiss payment methods from a single source is unique – and particularly attractive for SMEs, as it is not only comprehensive but also available at the lowest price on the market. I am therefore convinced that we will reach many more companies.”

With Hendrik Schulenburg as the new CFO, Payrexx is setting the course for further growth in the Swiss FinTech landscape. We would like to thank you for the exciting insights and look forward to continuing our successful collaboration.

About Payrexx

Payrexx was founded in Thun in 2015 and, as a registered payment facilitator of Mastercard, Visa, TWINT, PostFinance, CENTI, NAKA and REKA, enables the easy acceptance of payments – both online and on site. As an all-in-one solution, the self-developed payment platform includes more than 200 payment methods as well as numerous simple sales tools (Pages, Paylink, Invoice, Donations, QR Pay, Terminal). All Payrexx systems are redundant and meet the highest security standards. More than 60,000 merchants worldwide already use Payrexx, including well-known Swiss companies such as BKW, Carvolution, Zweifel Pomy-Chips AG, Hotelcard or Selecta.