Zepz Appoints Barrie Morris as Interim CEO as Mark Lenhard Steps Down

WHY THIS MATTERS
Leadership transitions at major cross-border payments companies often signal the start of a new strategic phase. Zepz, the global payments group behind WorldRemit and Sendwave, is entering such a moment as CEO Mark Lenhard prepares to step down, with CFO Barrie Morris appointed as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent successor. The change comes at a time when the company has strengthened its financial position, achieving cash-flow profitability and reporting strong operational growth.

The scale of Zepz’s operations highlights the importance of this transition. In 2025, the company processed more than $17 billion in transfers and over 120 million transactions across 130+ countries, with Q4 revenue growing 25% year-on-year. Recent product expansion, including the Sendwave Wallet launch across 100 countries and the acquisition of Pomelo to enhance cards and credit capabilities, reflects Zepz’s ambition to evolve from a remittance provider into a broader financial services platform.

Zepz, the global payments group behind WorldRemit and Sendwave, today announced that Mark Lenhard, Chief Executive Officer and Board Director, will step down from his role over the coming weeks. The company’s Board of Directors has appointed Barrie Morris, currently Chief Financial Officer, as Interim Chief Executive Officer to lead the business during the transition period. The Board has initiated a process to identify a permanent successor.

Barrie Morris brings more than 25 years of financial services experience to the role. He has served as Zepz’s Chief Financial Officer since 2023, leading the company’s financial strategy and strengthening its operational and capital foundations during a period of transformation and growth. Prior to joining Zepz, Barrie held senior finance roles in global financial services businesses, where he successfully scaled private equity-backed companies through to sale.

“Zepz enters this next phase from a position of financial strength and operational discipline,” said Barrie Morris. “Over the past three years, we have improved efficiency and built a leaner, more resilient business. We are now moving from consolidation to acceleration. As Interim CEO, my focus will be to execute our strategy at pace, expand our global reach and invest in the products and infrastructure that drive long-term growth for our customers.”

The leadership transition follows a year in which Zepz strengthened its financial position, accelerated growth and reinforced its foundations for long-term expansion. In 2025, the company transferred more than $17 billion for customers and processed over 120 million transactions across more than 130 countries. With Q4 2025 revenue growth of 25%, Zepz expects 2026 revenue to grow by around 20 percent year on year and has achieved cash flow profitability.

This progress has been driven by a period of strategic evolution under Mark Lenhard’s leadership, strengthening Zepz’s global platform and broadening its product offering. In the last six months, as part of its evolution into a platform for financial empowerment, Zepz launched the Sendwave Wallet in more than 100 countries and also acquired Pomelo, extending its capabilities in cards and credit services. 

“The past few years at Zepz have been defined by an amazing transformation by an incredible team,” said Mark Lenhard. “We have successfully unified as a single organisation, resulting in the creation of a profitable and fast-growing customer base and an expanding product suite. The business is in a great place, with real momentum and a clear path ahead for our next phase of growth.”

“The Board has full confidence in Barrie and the Executive Committee to lead the business with continuity and focus during this transition,” said Melissa Birge, Chair of the Zepz Board of Directors. “Zepz is well positioned to accelerate its growth and deliver long-term value. We thank Mark for his leadership and contribution to the company’s transformation and wish him every success in his future endeavours.”

FF NEWS TAKE
Zepz’s leadership change arrives as the global remittance sector becomes increasingly competitive, with fintechs racing to build broader financial ecosystems around payments.

With Barrie Morris stepping in as interim CEO, the immediate priority will likely be maintaining operational momentum while accelerating product expansion. If Zepz continues to move beyond remittances into wallets, cards and credit, it could strengthen its position as a full-stack financial platform for migrant communities and cross-border users.