TRAILBLAZER

As the high-flying CEO and Founder of Checkout . com , Dubai-based Guillaume Pousaz is the Swiss billionaire with an estimated net worth of US $ 20bn

Born in 1981 in Geneva , Switzerland , Guillaume Pousaz studied mathematical engineering at the Ecole Fédérale Polytechnique De Lausanne , before enrolling on a bachelor ' s degree in economics at HEC Lausanne , with a view to entering the world of investment banking .

As a youngster and student , he was always interested in the creative side of life , and was fascinated by street art – a passion that has resulted in his Checkout . com offices being decked in unique design works that mix logic with art .

However , in 2005 , his decision to enter banking was halted when his father was diagnosed with cancer . He left his university course and , according to reports , moved to California to become a surfer ‘ for a while ’.

Entry into finance Although the surfing life appealed to his bohemian outlook , Pousaz soon began to think about a career in finance once again .

While in California in 2006 , he began working for the finance company IPC , which seemed a good compromise as it had offices close to the beach .

The role at IPC introduced Pousaz to the payments industry – and highlighted how the world of online shopping was transforming the retail and consumer experience . Pousaz was so inspired by the payments space that , by 2007 , he had launched his first startup company – a fintech called NetMerchant that facilitated payments from US and European companies needing to make payments in foreign currencies .

He ran NetMerchant until 2009 and then diversified again , buying the Mauritiusbased fintech SMS Pay for US $ 300,000 . He also launched his second startup , Opus Payments , in 2009 – another payments processing fintech – only this time , his target marketplace was Asia . Opus Payments was based in Singapore and managed payments from Hong Kong businesses to process their international transactions from global buyers .

The launch of Checkout . com By now , it was clear that Pousaz had found his groove . He liked payments , he was good

18 March 2023