COLOGNE, Germany & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 31, 2025--
Cleverbridge, a leading provider of ecommerce and billing solutions for global software companies, today announced the appointment of Richard Stevenson as Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2025. He succeeds Wendi Sturgis, who will transition into a board advisory role.
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With over 25 years of leadership across B2B software and B2C financial services, Richard brings deep operational and strategic expertise to Cleverbridge. He has held executive roles at companies undergoing rapid transformation and global expansion, including CEO of Standard Life’s DACH region and VP and GM at Uniphore, where he led the company’s European growth following its acquisition of Red Box. Throughout his career, Richard has been at the forefront of launching and scaling innovative SaaS platforms, including Conversa, the first open Enterprise Voice AI platform.
“I am delighted with Richard’s appointment,” said Tom Buehlmann, Chairman of the Board at Cleverbridge. “Richard pairs extensive experience leading global technology growth companies with significant industry-specific knowledge in SaaS and financial services. His expertise and leadership skills will be decisive for the next stage of Cleverbridge’s growth.”
Buehlmann also expressed gratitude to outgoing CEO Wendi Sturgis: “I would like to thank Wendi for all her contributions. With her energy and commitment, she has made a major impact on Cleverbridge’s journey thus far — building a profitable growth trajectory and positioning us as a market-leading merchant of record provider.”
Founded in 2005 in Cologne (Germany) and Chicago (Illinois, USA), Cleverbridge has grown to a global team of 300+ employees, setting new standards as a leading merchant of record (MoR) solution provider. Some of the world’s largest technology companies — including Red Hat, Dassault Systèmes, and Sony — trust Cleverbridge to process payments, manage subscriptions, and simplify the complexities of global ecommerce. In 2024, Cleverbridge achieved record growth, expanding its client portfolio across industries while maintaining 99% logo retention and 100% platform uptime.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past few years — from deepening our client relationships to advancing our global ecommerce capabilities,” said Sturgis. “With strong momentum in place, I’m confident that Richard will bring the right leadership and expertise to build on that success. I look forward to supporting him and the company as it moves into a new chapter.”
“This is an exciting time to join Cleverbridge,” said Stevenson. “Wendi and the team have built a strong foundation and positioned the company for long-term success. I’m honored to take the helm and look forward to accelerating our momentum in the market. Above all, we remain deeply committed to delivering exceptional value to our clients and supporting their success in an increasingly complex ecommerce landscape.”
For more information, visit grow.cleverbridge.com or follow Cleverbridge on LinkedIn.
About Cleverbridge
Cleverbridge is the all-in-one ecommerce platform for global subscription businesses. As a merchant of record (MoR), we consolidate the essential components of an ecommerce solution – including payments, subscription management, tax/VAT handling, and regulatory compliance – to help businesses offload operational work and automate digital transactions throughout the customer lifecycle. Since 2005, leading B2B and B2C technology companies across industries have trusted Cleverbridge to deliver frictionless buying experiences and optimize acquisition, expansion, and retention in over 240 countries and territories. Learn more at grow.cleverbridge.com.
Richard Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer of Cleverbridge
One U.S. service member was rescued and at least one was missing after two U.S. military planes went down in separate incidents including the first shoot-down since the war began nearly five weeks ago.
It was the first time U.S. aircraft have been downed in the conflict and came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”
One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A U.S. crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a U.S. military search-and-rescue operation was underway.
Separately, Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down.
The war now entering its sixth week is destabilizing economies around the world as Iran responds to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Here is the latest:
U.S. and Israeli warplanes continued to pound Iran Saturday, hitting several targets including a petrochemical facility, Iranian media reported.
Iran's official English-language newspaper Tehran Times reported that an airstrike hit a facility belonging to Iran’s Agriculture Ministry in the western city of Mehran.
The newspaper said another air raid struck Mahshahr Special Petrochemical Zone in the southwestern Khuzestan province.
The semiofficial Fars news agency reported several explosions heard late Saturday morning in the facility.
Mehr, another semiofficial news agency, reported that the strikes hit four companies within the zone.
Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the veiled threat in a social media post late Friday, asking about how busy oil tanker and container ship traffic is through the strait.
The 20-mile (32-kilometer) strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and is one of the busiest chokepoints in global trade, with more than a tenth of seaborne global oil and a quarter of container ships passing through it.
Iran has already greatly disrupted the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, sending fuel prices skyrocketing and jolting the world economy.
Disrupting transit through the Bab el-Madeb would force shipping firms to route their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, further hitting prices.
Israel’s rescue services said Saturday the man sustained glass shrapnel wounds after an Iranian missile hit the central city of Bnei Brak.
It wasn't clear if the glass shrapnel was caused by a direct strike or falling debris from an intercepted missile.
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said it was taking the man to the hospital.
The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency said Saturday that the two men who were hanged belonged to the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.
The agency said Abul-Hassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amirian were convicted of “being members of a terrorist group.”
This brings to six the total number of MEK members executed since the start of the war.
Activists and rights groups say Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in which defendants are unable to challenge the accusations they face.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that its air force struck ballistic and and anti-aircraft missile storage sites in Tehran.
It said the strikes a day earlier included weapons manufacture sites as well as military research and development facilities in the Iranian capital.
It said the strikes are part of an ongoing phase to increase damage to Iran's “core systems and foundations.”
Authorities in Dubai said the facades of two buildings were damaged by debris from intercepted drones, including one belonging to U.S. tech firm Oracle. No injuries were reported.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened to attack Oracle and 17 other U.S. companies after accusing them of being involved in “terrorist espionage” operations in Iran.
Previous Iranian drone strikes caused damage to three Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
As of Friday, 247 of the wounded were Army soldiers, 63 were Navy sailors, 19 were Marines and 36 were Air Force airmen, according to Pentagon data available online.
It is unclear if the data includes any of the service members involved in the downing of two combat aircraft reported Friday.
Most of the wounded — 200 — were also mid to senior enlisted troops, 85 were officers and 80 were junior enlisted service members.
The current death toll remains at 13 service members killed in combat.
Palestinian Muslims attend Friday prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City due to restrictions linked to the Iran war, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Tamara and her sister Amal color pictures on the floor as their parents, Sara and Ahmed, who fled their village of Khiyam in southern Lebanon due to Israeli bombardment, sit inside a tent used as a shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Mohammad Qubaisi, 53, with burn wounds from an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon undergoes surgery by Dr. Mohammed Ziara, left, and his team, at the Sidon Government Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
A bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes on Thursday is seen in the town of Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
FILE - An F-15E Strike Eagle turns toward the Panamint range over Death Valley National Park, Calif., on Feb. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
