# Brian Goudie

> Brian Goudie is the executive chairman of Flute, formerly Aurora Payments, and a founding partner in the alliance announced as Aurora Solutions in April 2018. He entered payments in 1995 through the Wachovia-First Data alliance, later held senior First Data acquiring roles, and joined Aurora in 2017. As CEO, he led acquisition-led expansion and the move into proprietary software, including NailSoft and ARISE. He and his wife also owned two Las Vegas nail salons, which he described publicly in 2025.

- **Role:** Executive Chairman at Flute (formerly Aurora Payments)
- **Organizations:** Flute (formerly Aurora Payments / Aurora Solutions), First Data Corporation (now part of Fiserv), Cardservice International, Wachovia-First Data alliance, Fee Navigator (advisory board appointment announced in 2020)
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree; subject not specified, University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Richmond
- **Known for:** Helped assemble the 2018 Aurora Solutions alliance with BlueSquare and Chosen Payments., Led Aurora during its expansion into proprietary payments and industry software, including ARISE and NailSoft., Remained CEO and a shareholder when Corsair acquired a majority stake in January 2022.

## Career timeline

- **1995** — Entered payments through the Wachovia-First Data alliance in North Carolina, working in merchant sales.
- **1999** — Left the bank environment for Cardservice International, an independent sales organization.
- **2002** — Returned to the First Data organization after it acquired Cardservice International; subsequently held senior North American acquiring and distribution roles.
- **2017** — Joined the business that became the Aurora group as CEO.
- **2018** — Joined Sabin Burrell and Jeff Brodsly as partners in the Aurora Solutions alliance announced April 19.
- **2020** — Joined Fee Navigator’s advisory board in August.
- **2022** — Continued as CEO and shareholder following Corsair’s majority investment announced January 4; Aurora acquired One Payment later that year.
- **2023** — Aurora acquired salon-management software NailSoft in April.
- **2024** — Aurora launched ARISE in April and Calendarise in October.
- **2025** — Became executive chairman on May 6 as Derek Dean became CEO.
- **2026** — Aurora announced its rebrand as Flute on June 1.

## Achievements

- Helped assemble the 2018 Aurora Solutions alliance with BlueSquare and Chosen Payments.
- Led Aurora during its expansion into proprietary payments and industry software, including ARISE and NailSoft.
- Remained CEO and a shareholder when Corsair acquired a majority stake in January 2022.
- Aurora reported more than 27,000 merchants and $12 billion in annual processing volume at the May 2025 leadership transition.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Aurora Payments announced its rebrand as Flute on June 1.
- **2025-07** — A B2B Agility interview discussed his salon ownership, payment costs and software-specific merchant needs; its CEO introduction predates or does not reflect the May leadership transition.
- **2025-05** — Derek Dean succeeded Goudie as CEO on May 6; Goudie became executive chairman.
- **2025-01** — Authority Magazine published an interview on his payments career and small-business ownership on January 21.

## Links

- Website: https://flute.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-goudie-9608b52a

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-goudie
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27