SaaS-based sales tax automation service provider Avalara is continuing its growth path, appointing outgoing Sage North America channel sales executive Pascal Van Dooren to the newly created position of executive vice president of sales and marketing, while completing a $21 million round of financing.
Van Dooren, who begins his latest assignment on Oct. 5, will report directly to Avalara chief executive and co-founder Scott McFarlane. The move comes shortly after the company hired former SpeedTax public relations director and accounting technology industry veteran Brian Austin, who joined Avalara in another newly created position, as director of accountant and industry relations.
“All of the things we’re doing now are an outflow of the board’s decision that growth is very important to us right now,” said McFarlane. “We raised the money, really improving our teams and growing the team overall. We truly believed [Van Dooren] was the right person to help me and the existing team to grow, and our executive search firm and people we spoke to in the industry thought he would be a great fit as well. It will also get [executive VP Marshal Kushniruk] out of day-to-day sales activities so he and I can focus on business development. We’re getting people out of multiple roles here and specializing to take advantage of their skills.”
As for the latest round of financing, which began in the spring and culminated with money from existing investors and Sageview Capital, the company has already built a new corporate office and is planning “significant new growth,” according to McFarlane.
He noted that the company is looking to generate more awareness in the accounting community around sales tax automation, as well as pursuing new business opportunities in existing channels.
