Press Releases

Engineering leader to oversee global technology direction

Fergus, a leading job management software provider for the trade industry in Australia and New Zealand, has announced the appointment of Ben Gracewood as Vice President of Engineering based in Auckland. In this new company position, he will head a high-performing engineering team in delivering innovation and hold responsibility for further building out the Fergus cloud-based job management software created for plumbers, electricians and other trade businesses which drives greater automation and efficiency.

Ben Gracewood, Vice President of Engineering, Fergus

Mark Bartels, CEO, Fergus, said, “Ben is a highly respected figure in the New Zealand tech community. He will be a tremendous asset to our amazing engineering team and a strong partner for us at Fergus. We have found an engineering leader who not only understands the complexities of SaaS and marketplace payments platforms but also shares our commitment to customer success and product innovation.”

Gracewood comes to Fergus with more than two decades of experience in solutions architecture and systems engineering during which time he has gained a broad range of technical, interpersonal, and managerial skills from working at companies of various sizes.

He has been instrumental in providing the engineering vision, strategy, and leadership to support the expansion of start-ups including Kolatr, an AI platform for the fashion retail sector, and for multi-national companies including Westpac where he was Chief Experience Officer – Experience Engineering.

In addition, Gracewood previously worked at Vend for more than seven years in several senior positions, including as Chief Delivery Officer and Chief Engineering Officer where he spearheaded an effective engineering team based on global standards of excellence which ultimately contributed to the company’s successful half billion NZD exit. Earlier on in his career, Gracewood worked in solutions and architecture development roles for Intergen and Datacom and was also a Senior Analyst with BT Financial Group.

Ben Gracewood said, “Fergus has consistently set the benchmark for delivering software that solves everyday business challenges for tradies fundamentally transforming processes and unlocking efficiencies through automation and data insight. Joining Fergus as Vice President of Engineering gives me an incredible opportunity to build on that foundation and positively impact the company’s technology offering into the future. I look forward to continuing to enhance Fergus’ solutions and to accelerate our ability to scale and continuously deliver customer value."

Fergus was founded in 2012 and provides tradies with solutions for quoting, scheduling, timesheets, workforce tracking, health and safety management, automatic supplier invoice integrations, detailed profit margin reporting, and a mobile app for managing administrative tasks. The company serves over 21,000 tradespeople worldwide, and its solutions integrate with leading accounting platforms, including Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks. Fergus customers have generated billions of dollars in revenue through the platform, which has also streamlined their payment processes, helping them get paid faster and more efficiently.

Fergus recently announced the appointment of Christina Knock as Vice President of Marketing and Adam Maddox as Head of Product. These executive hires, alongside the recent addition of Ben Gracewood, mark an important step in the company’s growth under CEO Mark Bartels, who joined in August 2024.

Knock, Maddox and Gracewood bring extensive experience in scaling go-to-market (GTM) teams and delivering rapid value to small business owners. Their expertise is well-suited to Fergus’ mission of helping trades businesses thrive by addressing key challenges such as cash flow, workforce management, payroll, and customer satisfaction.

These appointments reflect Fergus’ commitment to building a leadership team capable of driving innovation and growth while ensuring small businesses receive the practical, immediate support they need.

Howard Leibman, Fergus Director and Partner at Sydney based software investor EVP, added, “We are incredibly excited to welcome Ben to Fergus. Ben’s experience in leading successful engineering teams through periods of transformation will be immensely valuable to Fergus as we accelerate our growth across New Zealand, Australia and the UK.”

About Fergus

Fergus is a leading job management software specifically tailored for trades businesses worldwide. It aims to alleviate the administrative burdens of running a trade business and empower tradespeople to improve time management and efficiency, and drive profitability.

Born from the real-world experience of tradie Dan Pollard, Fergus was founded in 2012 and developed as a cloud-based platform enabling end-to-end operations management for small to mid-sized trades businesses. Its core features include automatic supplier invoice integrations, detailed reporting on profit margins, and a user-friendly mobile app for managing admin tasks on the go. Additionally, Fergus offers robust tools for quoting, scheduling, timesheets, invoicing, GPS and workforce tracking, health and safety management, and resource planning.

Fergus has revolutionised the way trade businesses operate with over 21,000 tradespeople worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand, using Fergus. It includes accounting integrations for Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks, and integrates with leading suppliers, such as Bunnings, Reece, Rexel, Tradelink, MMEM, AWM, CNW, Haymans, and Samios. For more information visit: https://fergus.com/