Our Leadership
Our team combines decades of global leadership experience in innovative technologies, payment, processing, banking, and dynamic operations. We are dedicated to enhancing Aurora’s brand leadership through our unwavering commitment to innovation and strategic growth initiatives.
Relationships are the cornerstone of success and we work hard to serve as a trusted resource for our clients, partners, vendors, and staff. Our mission is to help small and midsize businesses manage their payments, invoicing, marketing, and more through one seamless customized tech solution.
Derek Dean
Chief Executive Officer
Derek leads Aurora Payments’ next phase of growth as Chief Executive Officer, guiding the company’s evolution from leading merchant-services provider to full-stack fintech platform. Since joining Aurora as CRO, he has expanded the direct-sales organization, fortified marketing, and built an ISV-centric go-to-market engine. Backed by 25 years in enterprise software, data management, and service-commerce—including executive roles at Syndigo and EverCommerce—Derek excels at scaling high-performance teams and translating customer insight into market-winning strategy.
Brian Goudie
Executive Chairman,
Board of Directors
As Executive Chairman, Brian shapes Aurora Payments’ long-range vision and governance while cultivating strategic relationships with processing partners, sponsor banks, and ISOs. After nearly a decade as CEO—during which he guided Aurora’s rapid expansion and product innovation—Brian now focuses on board leadership and targeted M&A to complement the company’s organic-growth initiatives. A 30-year payments-industry veteran with senior posts at First Data and beyond, he brings deep fintech expertise, a track record of operational excellence, and an unwavering commitment to merchant success.
Avin Arumugam
Chief Product and
Technology Officer
Avin leads Aurora’s product organization, bringing over 20 years of experience across the payments and fintech ecosystem to shape the next generation of intelligent, cloud-based payment solutions. He has held senior product leadership roles at Visa, PayPal, JPMorgan Chase, First Data, and Postmates—helping scale platforms used by millions. At Aurora, Avin focuses on aligning product innovation with customer needs, expanding the ARISE platform, and driving Aurora’s go-to-market product strategy. His expertise in embedded commerce, platform modernization, and product-led growth helps ensure Aurora remains at the forefront of payments innovation.
Jim Bauer
Chief Operating Officer
Jim oversees Aurora’s day-to-day operations, drawing on his 25+ years of experience across ATM, Gaming, and Financial Services industries. His leadership at Aurora emphasizes employee engagement and operational excellence, ensuring that the company’s growth is supported by robust internal processes and a motivated workforce. Jim’s background in strategic planning and product development adds depth to Aurora’s operational strategies.
Ryan Cross
Chief Financial Officer
Ryan leads Aurora’s finance organization, bringing over 15 years of payments industry leadership and a foundation in public accounting to the CFO role. He most recently served as CFO of Wells Fargo’s Merchant Services business, overseeing finance, accounting, and strategic planning for a multibillion‑dollar merchant portfolio. Prior to Wells Fargo, Ryan spent ten years in senior finance and accounting roles at Fifth Third Processing Solutions, Vantiv, and Worldpay, where he guided budgeting, performance management, and post‑acquisition integrations. At Aurora, Ryan focuses on driving financial discipline, operational efficiency, and real‑time insights to support Aurora’s rapid growth.
L.J. Williams
Chief Legal & People Officer
L.J. navigates the complex regulatory landscape of the payments industry for Aurora. His background as General Counsel for Global Payments Gaming Solutions and experience with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board allows him to provide strategic legal guidance that supports Aurora’s growth while ensuring compliance. L.J.’s role is crucial in shaping Aurora’s risk management strategies and protecting the company’s interests.
Derek Maxwell
Head of Enterprise Data and Automation
Derek leads Aurora’s technology strategy with a data-first approach that transforms payment processing into intelligent operations. As CTO, he built ARISE, Aurora’s proprietary payment gateway, and architected the BigQuery data warehouse that powers real-time analytics across the enterprise. With 20 years in software and over a decade in payments, Derek focuses on predictive intelligence and automation systems that turn data into competitive advantage. He focuses on building scalable, innovative solutions that address the evolving needs of the payments industry, maintaining Aurora’s competitive edge in fintech.
Steve Eghbali
Senior Vice President,
Finance and M&A
Steve plays a pivotal role in Aurora’s growth strategy, overseeing financial analysis and mergers and acquisitions. His investment banking experience at M&A Capital informs his work at Aurora, where he focuses on identifying strategic opportunities for expansion and ensuring the financial health of the company as it scales. Steve’s expertise is crucial in Aurora’s efforts to consolidate its market position through strategic acquisitions.
Alan Gibbon
Senior Vice President,
Risk Management
Alan leads Aurora’s risk management efforts, safeguarding the company’s interests in the fast-paced payments industry. With over a decade of experience, including roles at Powerpay/EVO and Nuvei, Alan develops and implements robust underwriting and risk management strategies at Aurora. His oversight is key to maintaining Aurora’s reputation for security and reliability in payment processing, ensuring the company’s growth is balanced with sound financial practices.
Trusted by thousands of companies
27,000 merchants have trusted Aurora payments with their payment solutions. We have payments processing built on security and redundancy to make sure your payment solutions are available when you need them.
27,000
Merchants
133 Million
Annual Transactions
$12 Billion
Annual Processing
99.999%
Uptime 365 days a year
Join our team
At Aurora, our foundation is built on integrity, passion, trust, and a strong work ethic. These core values shape everything we do – from the way our team collaborates to the way we serve our partners and customers.