Auctane signals start of new era of growth as global e-commerce shipping leader
AUSTIN, Texas—Auctane, the leading global delivery experience company that operates trusted brands such as ShipStation, Stamps.com, ShippingEasy, ShipEngine, ShipWorks, Metapack, and Endicia, today announced the appointment of Albert Ko as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective June 12, 2023. He succeeds Nathan Jones as CEO and will join the Company’s Board of Directors.
Ko joins Auctane from Early Warning Services (EWS), where he served as CEO. During his four-year tenure leading EWS, best known for the Zelle® payments network, he oversaw 20X growth in financial institutions and 5X growth in volume while building a strong culture of employee engagement.
“Al has deep expertise in bringing organizations together to achieve large-scale growth and transformational change. His proven track record of empowering employees around a shared vision will serve Auctane well as we accelerate momentum across our portfolio of brands,” said Gene Austin, Chairman of Auctane’s Board of Directors. “I look forward to working alongside Al as he brings this expertise to bear at Auctane.”
Auctane operates an ecosystem of brands within the mailing and shipping industries. Beginning with the introduction of online postage through Stamps.com and expanding into the booming global ecommerce market through ShipStation, ShipEngine, and Metapack, Auctane has a long history of pioneering technology aimed at improving the delivery experience for both senders and recipients.
“With extensive experience delivering product innovation and operational excellence at large-scale organizations, Al will help Auctane usher in a new stage of growth,” said Holden Spaht, a Managing Partner at Thoma Bravo, which acquired Auctane in October 2021. “Under his leadership, Auctane will continue to drive innovation in the expanding ecommerce shipping market, where increasing expectations around shipping speed, complexity, and globalization present enormous opportunity.”
Prior to his time at EWS, Ko spent more than 13 years at Intuit, where he served in various executive leadership roles, including Chief Transformation Officer, General Manager of Mint, and Head of Product for QuickBooks, where he was instrumental in its global expansion. He is passionate about helping businesses save time and money by simplifying complex tasks.
Ko said, “Auctane has been on the forefront of innovation in shipping since its inception. I look forward to joining a team of passionate innovators dedicated to bringing solutions to merchants around the world to help grow their businesses.”
About Auctane
Navigating the complex landscape of global shipping and logistics presents new challenges for startups and fast-growing brands every day. At Auctane, we serve and champion these businesses in everything we do. We are a team of shipping and software experts with a passion for helping merchants move their ideas, dreams, and innovations around the globe. Our software solutions power billions of shipments every year and enable businesses to manage complex logistic channels with ease, optimizing their time, energy, and resources. Auctane brands include ShipStation, Stamps.com, Packlink, ShippingEasy, ShipWorks, ShipEngine, Endicia, Shipsi, GlobalPost, and Metapack, with offices located globally in El Segundo, Austin, London, Madrid, Zielona Gora, and Atlanta. For more information, please visit https://auctane.com/.
About Thoma Bravo
Thoma Bravo is one of the largest software investors in the world, with more than US$120 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2022. Through its private equity, growth equity and credit strategies, the firm invests in growth-oriented, innovative companies operating in the software and technology sectors. Leveraging Thoma Bravo's deep sector expertise and strategic and operational capabilities, the firm collaborates with its portfolio companies to implement operating best practices and drive growth initiatives. Over the past 20 years, the firm has acquired or invested in more than 435 companies representing over US$240 billion in enterprise value.1 The firm has offices in Chicago, London, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. For more information, visit Thoma Bravo's website at thomabravo.com and Twitter @ThomaBravo.
1 Includes control and non-control investments.
Read the release on the Business Wire website here.