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Rodney Kenneth Drury (born 1966) is a New Zealand technology entrepreneur, predominately known for his association with accounting software company,
Xero Xero may refer to: *Xero (band), an Australian punk band *Xero (company), a New Zealand financial software company * ''Xero'' (film), an experimental 2010 German film *Xero (Linkin Park), an early name for the band Linkin Park, as well as a demo ...
. Drury was CEO of Xero until 2018, after founding the company in 2006. Drury made his initial fortune through Glazier Systems, a New Zealand software development and consulting company, which was sold in 1999. He subsequently established Context Connect and an email technology company called Aftermail. He is a former director of
Trade Me Trade Me is New Zealand's largest online auction and classifieds website. Managed by Trade Me Ltd., the site was founded in 1999 by New Zealand entrepreneur Sam Morgan (entrepreneur), Sam Morgan, who sold it to John Fairfax Holdings, Fairfax in ...
, and was involved in the now-defunct
Pacific Fibre Pacific Fibre is a New Zealand-based company that proposed to build a trans-Pacific undersea communications cable that was to have competed with the Southern Cross Cable operated by Telecom New Zealand. The cable would have totalled 12,750 k ...
project.


Early life

Drury is the son of a tradesman and an executive assistant and grew up in
Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region ...
. He is reported to have
Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
heritage, with his father tracing a lineage to
Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...
. Drury attended
Napier Boys' High School Napier Boys' High School is a secondary boys' school in, Napier, New Zealand. It currently has a school roll of approximately pupils. The school provides education from Year 9 to Year 13. Notable alumni Business *Rod Drury – chief executi ...
, which is where he says he developed an interest in computer programming, before going on to study commerce and administration at
Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Z ...
. After university, he worked at the accounting firm Arthur Young, which became
Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Delo ...
in 1989. In his early 20s, Drury stuttered so badly that he struggled to speak on the phone. However, he was able to overcome it using a smooth speech course at about age 27. He says that overcoming his stutter was crucial to starting the Xero business.


Career

In 1995, Drury established Glazier Systems, a New Zealand software development and consulting company. Glazier Systems was acquired by Advantage Group in 1999 for approximately $7.5 million, which later became Intergen. Drury subsequently co-founded Context Connect and then founded and served as CEO of AfterMail which was acquired by
Quest Software Quest Software, also known as Quest, is a privately held software company headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, United States. Quest provides cloud management, software as a service, security, workforce mobility, and backup & recovery. The ...
(subsequently acquired by
Francisco Partners Francisco Partners is an American private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in technology and technology-enabled services businesses. Founded in August 1999 and based in San Francisco with offices in London and New York City, Franci ...
and
Elliott Management Corporation Elliott Investment Management is an American investment management firm. It is also one of the largest activist funds in the world. It is the management affiliate of American hedge funds Elliott Associates L.P. and Elliott International Limit ...
). In July 2006 Drury founded
Xero Xero may refer to: *Xero (band), an Australian punk band *Xero (company), a New Zealand financial software company * ''Xero'' (film), an experimental 2010 German film *Xero (Linkin Park), an early name for the band Linkin Park, as well as a demo ...
, a publicly listed
software as a service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is co ...
accounting-software company, and served as its CEO. In October 2007, Drury was a judge for the
New Zealand Open Source Awards The New Zealand Open Source Awards celebrate open source developments in New Zealand at a biannual awards ceremony, held since 2007. The awards are run by the New Zealand Open Source Society. Past winners of New Zealand Open Source Awards Refe ...
. Drury co-founded Pacific Fibre, a company which attempted to build an internet cable between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The cable would have cost around $400 million but the venture was ultimately unsuccessful. In November 2017, he sold $95 million worth of shares in Xero, leaving him with a 13 per cent holding in the company. He stated the sale would support his "future plans to pursue a range of philanthropic and social endeavours." He stepped down as CEO of Xero in March 2018, continuing on with the company as a non-executive director.


Awards

Drury was awarded the Hi-Tech New Zealand "Entrepreneur of the Year" award in 2006 and 2007. In August 2008 Drury was conferred the title of ''Honorary Fellow of the
New Zealand Computer Society The Institute of IT Professionals (IITP) is a non-profit incorporated society in New Zealand. As New Zealand's ICT professional body, the IITP exists to promote education and ensure a high level of professional practice amongst ICT professional ...
'' (HFNZCS) during the 2008 NZ Computerworld Excellence Awards. He is only the 21st person to be awarded the title in the Society's 48-year history. In 2012, Drury was awarded NZ Herald Business Leader of the Year. In 2013, Drury was named Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.


Personal life

Drury has three children from his first marriage. He lives in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay region. Drury has also said that he enjoys surfing, skateboarding and mountain biking in his free time. In 2020, Drury donated $1,000,000 to the iwi charity
Mana Tahuna According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being ...
to clean up Queenstown’s Lake Hayes. In 2022, Drury donated $100,000 to Act.


References


External links

*
Interview with Drury
Social Media NZ {{DEFAULTSORT:Drury, Rod New Zealand businesspeople Living people 1966 births Ngāi Tahu people People educated at Napier Boys' High School