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

Payrexx, the leading Swiss payment provider for SMEs, has appointed Hendrik Schulenburg as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The 24-year-old economist has been with the company since 2021 and will assume financial responsibility in the future.

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

Ivan Schmid, Managing Director of Payrexx AG, explains:
"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 and the payment market down to the last detail and brings an extraordinary level of commitment that goes far beyond the usual. His structured way of working, his excellent understanding of figures and his ability to make sound decisions even under pressure convinced us to give him this key responsibility."

With this appointment, Payrexx reaffirms its conviction that it is not age or years of professional experience that are important, but professional competence, integrity and entrepreneurial thinking. Hendrik embodies precisely those qualities that are crucial for sustainable and future-oriented financial management - especially in the dynamic SME environment in which Payrexx operates as a market leader.

Since its foundation in 2015, Payrexx has established itself in Thun. Today, the company has over 45 employees and is one of the most innovative FinTechs in the region. With the appointment of Hendrik Schulenburg, Payrexx would also like to contribute to promoting regional talent and strengthening Thun as a growing FinTech center.

In this interview, Schulenburg provides insights into his career, his view of the future of digital payments and his vision for the coming years.

How is it that you are already CFO at Payrexx at the age of 24?

Hendrik Schulenburg: "I was interested in economic topics from an early age. That's why I completed my Bachelor's degree in Business Administration at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and joined Payrexx as an intern during my studies. That was over four years ago and since then I have been able to accompany the company in various roles, experience many exciting developments and gradually take on more responsibility. I am very enthusiastic about the combination of finance and strategic development, and I am grateful to the Board of Directors and the Executive Board for the trust they have placed in me with this role."

Was it always your goal to become a CFO?

"The goal of becoming CFO at some point developed during my time at Payrexx. The insights I was able to gain and the topics I was able to deal with have shown me that I would like to have the corresponding responsibility one day. I am delighted that I now have this opportunity at Payrexx."

What makes Payrexx a special employer for you?

"On the one hand, the market itself - the payment industry is incredibly exciting, constantly on the move and offers plenty of room for innovation. On the other hand, I am impressed by how Payrexx has built up a strong position in the Swiss payment market over the past ten years with a great deal of commitment and customer proximity. We are particularly proud that Payrexx was voted the most popular provider for Swiss SMEs in the national online merchant survey in 2023, ahead of providers such as PayPal, Worldline and PostFinance.

That's exactly what Payrexx is all about for 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?

"For me, leadership at Payrexx means understanding the needs of customers and the market, always remaining agile and innovative and working together towards a clear goal. This is what it takes to be able to hold your own in a dynamic market environment."

How do you see the payment industry developing?

"I am convinced that both online and face-to-face business will continue to move towards simplification and efficiency. For example, we can already see 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. There will also be changes at the point of sale. The classic payment terminal (POS terminal), as we know it from retail today, will increasingly be replaced by so-called SoftPOS solutions in the coming years: This involves transforming an ordinary smartphone or tablet into a fully-fledged payment terminal - without any additional hardware. This technological development makes card payments more flexible, cheaper and more efficient - especially for small businesses and mobile providers.

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

And where do you see Payrexx in 5 years?

"The question is particularly exciting. Payrexx is constantly evolving and has recently started processing not only e-commerce payments but also point-of-sale payments (payments directly at the physical point of sale, e.g. at the store checkout or at the customer's location), making it a true omni-payment provider. I therefore see Payrexx as the number 1 in the omni-payment sector for SMEs in Switzerland in 5 years' time. The all-in-one solution from Payrexx 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 him 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 for Mastercard, Visa, TWINT, PostFinance, CENTI, NAKA and REKA, makes it easy to accept 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. Over 60,000 merchants worldwide already use Payrexx, including well-known Swiss companies such as BKW, Carvolution, Zweifel Pomy-Chips AG, Hotelcard and Selecta.