Seasoned finance executive Stuart Barnard has been appointed as the first Chief Financial Officer (CFO) by Encompass Corporation, a leading player in the field of Corporate Digital Identity (CDI). Barnard joins an already robust leadership team which has seen a number of senior-level hires over the year, exemplifying Encompass' commitment to fortifying its leadership.
With over 15 years of finance industry experience, Barnard is particularly versed with the needs of start-up and scale-up organisations. His role at Encompass will extend to overseeing global financial and business operations. He will also shoulder key strategic responsibilities for departments including finance, legal, people, revenue operations, IT and information security.
The appointment of Barnard to the role of CFO is a significant achievement for Encompass, underlining the firm's rapid growth and reinforcing its strong leadership team. Notably, this year also saw Neil Acworth join as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and former CEO of CoorpID, Job den Hamer, coming onboard as Head of Business Development.
Barnard's journey with Encompass started in 2016 when he joined the Sydney-founded company as Head of Finance. Since then, he has played a vital role in facilitating rapid international growth, leading expansion across all business areas. Prior to his recent promotion, he served as VP of Finance and Business Operations based out of the London office.
In his new capacity as CFO, Barnard stated, “I am delighted to continue what has been a remarkable journey at Encompass by taking up the role of CFO. It has been a privilege to be part of establishing the organisation as a global leader, with the foundations in place to continue to go from strength to strength, supported by a first-class team and innovation. It is a truly exciting time, and we are well placed to continue to flourish as a top player in the market, fuelled by our focus on unlocking the benefits of CDI for our customers.”
Co-founder and CEO of Encompass Corporation, Wayne Johnson, lauded Barnard's contributions to the firm's success, stating that, “Stuart has been instrumental to the success of Encompass, from the early days until now, as we have developed our offering, operations and culture – all of which have allowed us to scale internationally. His knowledge, expertise, and business acumen have been vital to ensuring Encompass remains ahead of the curve, and the diverse, high-performing talent that he has brought into his teams has been central to not only how we operate on a daily basis, but to instilling the values that we pride ourselves on as a forward-thinking employer that enables individuals to thrive.”