News and Media

Zahir is our Chief Executive Officer. He comes to Wave with decades of executive experience, most recently as General Manager for Afterpay North America, and previously as Executive Vice President at Mastercard. He joined Mastercard in 2012 as Chief Executive Officer for Mobile Payment Solutions (MPS) where he was responsible for deploying mobile solutions in Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines, India and Turkey.

Zahir has always had a passion for small business and enabling financial access for all. This led him to a four-year stint as President and CEO of M-Paisa Afghanistan, bringing banking and financial education to underserved communities.

Speaking of passion, Zahir’s mad love for Canada’s own Vancouver Canucks follows him everywhere (including into his pocket⁠—check out his phone case if you get the chance!). These days he calls California home, and lives there with his wife and two daughters.

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Michaella is our Chief Financial Officer. She has more than 14 years of capital markets and corporate finance experience. She has spearheaded H&R Block’s Investor Relations, ESG, & Productivity teams for the last three years and previously held various leadership and value creation roles, including Chief of Staff, through two other successful company exits. She was also an analyst in buy-side investment management and worked in investment banking.

Michaella received her MS in Finance, summa cum laude, from University of Denver. She also earned her BSBA in Finance from the University of Denver where she graduated in three years and was honored as a Coca-Cola Scholar and a Boettcher Scholar. Michaella sits on several nonprofit boards including SLC6A1 Connect, an organization that advances scientific research to ultimately result in a cure for the rare disease. She is a national champion equestrian (her lifelong passion) and loves hiking, biking, and being in the great outdoors. She resides in Littleton, Colorado.

David Axler is the Chief Strategy Officer, focusing on formulating, communicating, and fulfilling Wave’s initiatives and future goals. With over five years at Wave, David brings an enthusiastic leadership style and unyielding service to our customers. Prior to Wave, David was a GM and Chief of Staff at a B2B technology company, Influitive, and was previously a management consultant with Deloitte. A graduate of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, he has a wealth of experience knowledge in business strategy and growth.

Outside of work, David can be found in various arenas across the city, including coaching his kids’ hockey teams and, when he’s lucky enough to find the time, paddling a canoe across an open lake or struggling his way around a golf course.

Sandra Wrycraft is the Chief People Officer, focusing on fostering a high-performance culture driven by a commercial mindset and a customer-centric approach. Sandra comes to Wave following a decade of management consulting. Her expertise lies in partnering with high-growth companies and driving business transformation by aligning business and people strategies.

She has a passion for inspiring potential in others and in building trust-based high-performance teams. Sandra’s experience in executive search, coaching, and leadership development is all focused on optimizing business performance through empowering people and teams.

A certified executive coach and board director, Sandra is highly entrepreneurial and has also held senior people leadership roles in tech, retail, and healthcare. She is a proud mom and aspiring chef who enjoys all things cottage life, giving back to her community, and spending time with family and friends.