Australian supply chain fintech Earlytrade has hired Jamie Whiteway as its chief commercial officer.

Starting with immediate effect, he’ll be responsible for origination, corporate go-to-market strategy and revenue growth.

Whiteway, who will continue to be based in Sydney, joins after a four-year stint at working capital solutions provider Taulia.

Having joined the firm in 2016, Whiteway had been working most recently as head of Asia Pacific, where he had been tasked with leading the firm’s first office in the region.

He moved from his role as European head of sales in Taulia’s London office to take on the position in January last year.

Whiteway previously held roles in the UK banking sector at HSBC and Barclays after moving to London in 2011, and prior to this, the chartered accountant spent time at McGrathNicol, KPMG and Westpac in Australia.

Speaking about his move, Whiteway says: “The supply chain finance industry is also at a turning point. I think many companies are now recognising a singular focus on short-term gains is not a sustainable way of engaging their supply chains.”

Founded by Guy Saxelby and CTO Piers Symons in 2016, Earlytrade’s marketplace can be used by suppliers to request early payment from their corporate clients in exchange for a discount, thereby helping improve the suppliers’ working capital.

Last week the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) said that fresh data shows small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are “waiting far too long to get paid”.

Pointing to a survey of 1,200 SME owners across the nation, ombudsman Kate Carnell commented: “While businesses with A$10mn to A$20mn revenue wait an average of 40 days to get paid, smaller businesses with A$1mn to A$10mn revenue are waiting an average of 66 days.”

In a supply chain finance position paper published last month, the Ombudsman suggested small businesses should receive payment in 30 days or fewer as a minimum standard. A draft law has also been tabled that would require large business to disclose publicly their payment terms and whether they offer any form of supply chain finance.