Move underscores TerraPay’s commitment to embedding artificial intelligence across every function of its global payments business
TerraPay, a global cross-border payments infrastructure company, today announced the appointment of Vanburn as its first Chief AI Officer. In his new position, Vanburn will lead the company-wide adoption of artificial intelligence across every department and function at TerraPay, building on the momentum of the company’s “AI Champs” initiative launched last year which enabled moving from building awareness to embedding AI into the way TerraPay operates every day.
Vanburn previously led TerraPay’s Technology organisation, where he was instrumental in building the platform that today moves money across banks, cards and wallets around the world. His move to Chief AI Officer reflects TerraPay’s view that AI adoption is not a technology initiative to be delegated to a single team, but a business-wide transformation that touches people, process, and value creation across the organisation.
“There is a version of this story where AI replaces people. That is not the story we are writing,” said Vanburn. “AI is good at repetitive, predictable, high-volume tasks; our people are good at judgment, relationships, context, and creativity. My job is to make sure AI does the first, so our teams can do more of the second. The goal is not fewer people – it is better work.”
AI is central to TerraPay’s next phase of growth, and the company is making it a company-wide priority. “To lead this effort, Vanburn will take on the new role of Chief AI Officer,” said Ram Sundaram. “There is no one better suited for this responsibility. Having built TerraPay’s technology from day one, Vanburn combines deep technical expertise with a unique understanding of our business. His mission is to accelerate AI adoption across every function, ensuring every team and every colleague is equipped to use AI to work smarter, innovate faster, and deliver greater value to our customers.”
The changes are designed to put clearer ownership closer to the work, reducing handoffs and giving individuals end-to-end responsibility for the platforms and services they build – a model the company believes will be essential to executing its AI strategy at pace.
“The systems we build in the next 12 months will shape how we move money for the next 10 years,” Vanburn said. “I’m excited about what we will build together.”