PayNearMe just made a heavyweight addition to its leadership bench.
The company announced today that Niall Hayes is joining as Chief Development Officer and EVP of Engineering—a role that puts him squarely at the helm of the company’s tech evolution as it rides a wave of momentum in the Payment Experience Management space.
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Hayes isn’t walking into a quiet rebuilding phase. He’s stepping into a company that just wrapped its strongest year ever, processing north of $50 billion annually through its PayXM™ platform. His mission? Scale the payments infrastructure, tighten execution, and push AI-powered innovation into overdrive.
In practical terms, that means Hayes will oversee everything from software development and infrastructure to data, security, and enterprise implementations. Think of it as keeping the engine humming while also tuning it for the next lap.
Why This Hire Matters Now
The timing here isn’t coincidental. As businesses everywhere wrestle with fragmented payment systems and clunky user experiences, Payment Experience Management is quickly becoming the strategy du jour. PayNearMe has been capitalizing on that shift, posting growth across revenue, client expansion, and platform innovation throughout 2025.
“We’re excited to welcome Niall to PayNearMe as the company enters its next phase of growth,” said Danny Shader, founder and CEO. “He’s built and scaled some of the most demanding, high-volume platforms in the world and brings the technical depth and leadership we need to build on our momentum.”
Shader also highlighted Hayes’ role in expanding AI capabilities across the company—a key differentiator as Payment Experience Management becomes less of a nice-to-have and more of a competitive necessity.
What Hayes Brings to the Table
With over 25 years leading engineering, product, and operations teams, Hayes has seen some serious action. Most recently, he was SVP of Engineering at Twilio, where he led the Communications platform handling trillions of emails and hundreds of billions of messages each year. (Yes, trillions. Not a typo.)
Before Twilio, Hayes served as COO at Pantheon, managing engineering, customer success, and operations. His resume also includes leadership stints at KIXEYE, Zynga, and Electronic Arts—companies where performance at scale isn’t optional.
“PayNearMe is tackling a real, everyday challenge by making it easier for people to pay and for businesses to get paid, through a highly differentiated platform and an exceptional team,” Hayes said. “The opportunity to help shape the Payment Experience Management category, alongside the company’s strong growth and momentum, made this an incredibly compelling time to join.”
What’s Next
Hayes will be focused on pushing the PayXM platform to deliver even greater performance, reliability, and innovation. For PayNearMe’s clients—who operate in sectors where payment friction can literally cost millions—that means a smoother, smarter experience on both ends of the transaction.
As Payment Experience Management continues gaining traction across industries, PayNearMe is positioning itself not just to ride the wave, but to help define where it goes next. With Hayes now leading the technical charge, the company is clearly doubling down on that ambition.