Charles Freund is described as a payments veteran with 23 years of experience in the industry. His experience spans the globe, having acquired and operated businesses in Europe, Latin America and Australia.
“His functional knowledge is expansive, including strategy, sales, marketing, public relations, product development, channel development, pricing, finance, investor relations, human resources, organizational design, performance management, credit and risk management,” said his colleagues. “Charles has flourished in both public and private company environments and has the experience of transitioning between the two.”
His vast knowledge and experience are what led him to the position of CFO at Fullsteam in 2022.
Fullsteam provides integrated business management software, payment solutions, marketing services and additional offerings specialized for the unique needs of numerous, attractive industry verticals. Fullsteam deploys a high velocity M&A playbook, having completed 73 acquisitions since the company’s founding in 2018. The firm serves over 57,000 small and medium-sized businesses, mostly in the U.S. and Canada, in verticals such as retail, hospitality, recreation, automotive, healthcare, field services and more.
Freund said he thrives at connecting the dots. “I am a highly analytical, strategic thinker who sees the interplay of various problems, initiatives and ideas across multiple functions and business units,” he said. “This helps with identifying potential roadblocks and/or synergies with multiplier effects across the enterprise.”
Since joining Fullsteam, Freund has been instrumental in raising equity from Aquiline Capital Partners and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority as well as securing a new $1 billion credit facility with seven prominent leaders. He also helped grow the run rate revenue by 47% and the adjusted EBITDA 68% in his first year.
Freund said he embraces a collaborative way of doing business and solving complex problems. “We engage stakeholders across multiple functions to ensure the relevant perspectives are heard when diagnosing a problem and formulating potential solutions,” said Freund. “We convene senior leaders on a regular, recurring basis to surface strategic issues and discuss such across business lines to ensure key learnings and best practices are disseminating throughout our company.”
As a leader, Freund takes an open approach to engage in meaningful dialogue, consider new ideas, approach problems from various perspectives and dismantle old ways of thinking. “Stubborn leaders who are unwilling to listen, evolve and/or find middle ground will struggle to engage high-performing, independent thinkers who can help companies reach the next level.”
