# Peter Cowan

> Peter Cowan is the Sydney-based CEO of PayPal Australia and VP of Global Entity Management. He marked 30 years in Australian payments in February 2026. His public work spans merchant services, checkout products, regulatory engagement and mentoring; his own writing also records the practical lessons of starting a business in 2016.

- **Role:** VP, Global Entity Management and Chief Executive Officer, PayPal Australia at PayPal
- **Organizations:** PayPal, Women in Payments Australian Advisory Board, Upplft, Parallax Payments, Indue, First Data Corporation
- **Education:** Bachelor of Commerce, University of Wollongong, Master of Marketing, Charles Sturt University
- **Known for:** Reached 30 years in Australian payments in February 2026., Progressed through PayPal Australia leadership roles to CEO, with a concurrent global entity management remit., Joined the Women in Payments Australian Advisory Board.

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Entered the Australian payments market on 13 February, according to his 2026 anniversary article.
- **2016** — Started a business; described his first approximately 100 days in a July article. ContactOut identifies the business as Parallax Payments and lists October 2016 as his PayPal start.
- **2019** — Named Director, Mid-Market and Small Business Partners in PayPal’s May retail trends release.
- **2021** — Published Pay in 4 announcement and launch articles in March and July; listed as PayPal Australia MD at the AFR Banking Summit.
- **2022** — Discussed his Australia leadership remit and checkout trust in a November interview.
- **2023** — Signed a 2 November Treasury submission as CEO, PayPal Australia.
- **2024** — Said he joined the Women in Payments Australian Advisory Board in January; shared Sydney Impact Day activity in July.
- **2025** — Lists an Upplft advisory board role from May; featured as PayPal Australia CEO in the Intersekt program.
- **2026** — Published a 12 February reflection marking 30 years in Australian payments the following day.

## Achievements

- Reached 30 years in Australian payments in February 2026.
- Progressed through PayPal Australia leadership roles to CEO, with a concurrent global entity management remit.
- Joined the Women in Payments Australian Advisory Board.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Published a reflection on 30 years in Australian payments, highlighting technological change, industry relationships and mentoring.
- **2025-09** — Listed as CEO of PayPal Australia in the Intersekt 2025 speaker program.
- **2025-05** — His LinkedIn profile lists the start of an advisory board role at Upplft.

## Links

- Website: https://www.paypal.com/au/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cowanpeter

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/peter-cowan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21