FreshBooks Welcomes Leslie Witt and John Davison to its Board of Directors
Toronto, June 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FreshBooks, a leading cloud accounting software platform with paying customers in 130+ countries, is pleased to welcome Leslie Witt, Chief Product and Design Officer at Headspace Health, and John Davison, recently retired President and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, as the newest members of its Board of Directors. Davison is also Chair of FreshBooks’ audit committee.
“We’re thrilled to bring Leslie’s unmatched expertise in customer-centric design, and John’s deep knowledge and passion for customer service to benefit our global team,” says Don Epperson, CEO of FreshBooks. “We look forward to their valuable contributions and strategic direction to help us accelerate innovation as we advance FreshBooks’ mission to Execute Extraordinary Experiences Everyday to help Small Business owners grow.”
Leslie Witt is an accomplished technology executive and product leader who has a deep wealth of experience in customer-driven innovation and an unwavering commitment to improving people’s lives. Before joining Headspace and focusing on mental health, Witt was most recently focused on improving financial outcomes as Head of Design for the Small Business and Self-Employed group at financial software company Intuit and, prior to that as the head of Financial Service innovation at IDEO. At IDEO, she worked with a wide array of partners, including financial institutions, fin-tech giants, payment providers, retailers, non-profits, foundations and the public sector, counting Visa, Wells Fargo, MetLife, the Gates Foundation, the CFPB and the World Bank among her clients. Leslie is currently a board member for Filoli Historic House & Gardens in California, a National Historic Trust Property and an advisor for fertility health start-up, Doveras.
“FreshBooks and I are deeply aligned in our vision of delivering exceptional experiences driven by deep understanding of the customer’s challenges and goals and prioritization of their needs,” says Witt. “I’m elated to join FreshBooks’ commitment to supporting and empowering small business owners by providing an intuitive, user-friendly accounting solution that saves them time and enables them to focus on what’s most important – growing their business.”
As President and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts John Davison was responsible for advancing Four Seasons position as the world’s leading luxury hospitality company. Recognized for his focus on nurturing the company’s renowned culture and values, Davison retired in 2022, following a 20-year tenure with Four Seasons.
Davison joined Four Seasons in 2002, advancing to Chief Financial Officer in 2005, where he oversaw corporate finance, operations finance, and information systems and technology. He was appointed interim-CEO in 2018 and was permanently appointed to the position in 2019. Prior to Four Seasons, Davison worked for 14 years at IMAX Corporation, most recently as President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and for four years as a member of the Audit and Business Investigations Practices at KPMG in Toronto. Davison currently serves on the boards of a number of public and private companies.
“FreshBooks is a leader in empowering small business owners with the essential tools they need to thrive, and shares my passion for delivering exceptional service and value to customers,” says Davison. “I’m excited to contribute to FreshBooks’ continued excellence, helping to ensure that small business owners and accountant’s experiences with FreshBooks remains unmatched.”
The addition of Witt and Davison brings FreshBooks’ Board of Directors to seven members, which also includes, Don Epperson, CEO of FreshBooks, Jeff Fagnan, Founding Partner at Accomplice, and Shane Holdaway, CEO of Mission Lane, Simon Chong, Lead Investor and Co-Founder at Georgian, and Mike McDerment, Chair of the Board and Co-Founder of FreshBooks.
About FreshBooks
FreshBooks is changing the way business owners manage their books. Its owner-first accounting platform, loved by businesses in over 130 countries, takes an easy-to-use approach to managing finances, billing, payroll, payments, and client engagement. Known for its 11x Stevie award-winning customer support, FreshBooks serves customers of all sizes from offices in Canada, Croatia, Germany, Netherlands, Mexico, and the US. FreshBooks has been recognized as a Top 10 employer by Great Places to Work for eight of the last nine years.