Ben Thompson

Co-founder & CEO, Employment Hero

FounderHRNSW

Ben Thompson is an Australian entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Employment Hero, an employment-management and HR software platform. A former banking and finance solicitor, he built a series of HR and payroll ventures, including Employment Innovations and KeyPay, before co-founding Employment Hero in 2014 and growing it into a technology unicorn.

Fast facts

Role	Co-founder & CEO
Company	Employment Hero
Sector	HR / employment management SaaS
Headquarters	NSW
In role since	2014
Education	Degrees in Economics and Law; began his career as a solicitor in banking and finance

Background

Former banking/finance solicitor; built Employment Innovations, KeyPay and other HR ventures; co-founded Employment Hero in November 2014; grew it past A$2B valuation serving 350,000+ SMEs

Career timeline

2002Returned to Australia and co-founded an employment-law and HR consultancy venture
2012Was a seed investor in payroll software company KeyPay
2014Co-founded Employment Hero
2022Employment Hero reached unicorn status and acquired KeyPay

Notable

Trained and worked as a banking and finance solicitor before moving into HR technology
Built a portfolio of HR ventures including Employment Innovations, Power2Motivate and KeyPay
Co-founded Employment Hero in 2014, serving small and medium businesses and millions of employees
Grew Employment Hero to a valuation above A$2 billion
Recognised with an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Australia award

Frequently asked questions

What is Ben Thompson known for?

He is the co-founder and CEO of Employment Hero, an HR and employment-management software platform.

What did Ben Thompson do before Employment Hero?

He worked as a banking and finance solicitor and built HR ventures including Employment Innovations and KeyPay.

When was Employment Hero founded?

Employment Hero was co-founded in 2014.

Public profiles

Sources

Last verified 2026-07-13. Professionally-public, sourced information only.