David Axler Appointed CEO as Occupier Expands Executive Leadership Team to Accelerate Growth
Last Updated on December 10, 2025 by Kathleen Wong
NEW YORK – December 10, 2025 – Occupier, the leading commercial lease management and accounting software platform, announced the appointment of David Axler as Chief Executive Officer. The announcement comes alongside strategic leadership moves that position the company for its next phase of growth, with co-founders Matt Giffune and Andrew Flint transitioning to Chief Product Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, respectively. Additionally, Ryan Abu-Ali joins Occupier as Chief Revenue Officer, rounding out the executive team to lead commercial operations.
Industry expertise driving technology leadership
Occupier’s competitive advantage is rooted in a unique combination of founders with deep commercial real estate and lease accounting expertise, complemented by seasoned SaaS operators driving scalable growth.
Giffune and Flint spent over a decade as commercial real estate brokers at JLL in Boston and New York before joining VTS. At Occupier, they recognized a critical technology gap. While landlords had modern platforms, tenants managing their second-largest expense had no unified solution for lease administration and accounting compliance. They’ve spent seven years perfecting the solution.
“Matt and Andrew have built a platform that customers genuinely love – one rooted in deep industry knowledge that addresses critical customer needs,” said Shane Skiffington, Partner at Unbundled Capital, which led Occupier’s $16 million growth investment earlier this year. “David brings the operational excellence and scaling expertise that enable companies to evolve from strong customer traction to sustainable market leadership. As the de facto standard for modern lease management, Occupier is uniquely positioned to lead the next wave of innovation in the industry. With David’s leadership, we will continue to set the bar for innovation across the industry to deliver exceptional customer outcomes.”
Axler brings 15+ years of experience scaling product-led SaaS businesses in the SMB and mid-market segments. Most recently, as Chief Strategy and Operations Officer at Wave Financial, he led the team through a strategic shift from a single-product to a multi-product business model, accelerating growth and margin expansion. H&R Block acquired Wave for $405 million, one of the largest Canadian tech acquisitions at the time. His expertise spans product-led growth strategy, cross-functional team leadership, and building customer-centric go-to-market engines in complex, underserved markets.
“Real estate is the second-largest expense for most companies, yet it’s managed with spreadsheets and email,” said Axler . “I’ve seen this story before at Wave, markets dominated by spreadsheets and legacy tools are ready for disruption. Matt and Andrew lived this problem as brokers. They know what great looks like in commercial real estate. My job is to accelerate how we deliver that value to customers and ensure we’re building infrastructure that scales as the industry digitizes.”
“David’s deep understanding of both product strategy and go-to-market execution gives us tremendous confidence in where we’re headed,” said Flint . “Our customers can expect a platform that doesn’t just keep pace with the market, but defines where commercial real estate technology is going. We’re building the infrastructure that will power how companies manage real estate for the next decade.”
Leadership expansion to propel Occupier’s customer-focused mission
This leadership evolution strengthens Occupier’s ability to deliver on its core mission: making commercial real estate a strategic asset, not an administrative burden for its customers.
Accelerating customer value: As Chief Revenue Officer, Abu-Ali leads Occupier’s commitment to helping commercial tenants realize value quickly, transforming implementations into strategic partnerships that drive lasting business impact. He brings proven experience scaling revenue operations at Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK), where he built the High Velocity Software business. Abu-Ali leads the systems and processes that ensure real estate and finance teams see immediate wins, adopt confidently, and transform how their organizations manage leases.
Faster product innovation: Giffune’s dedicated focus as Chief Product Officer ensures the platform continues to be built by an industry expert who has negotiated leases and understands real estate and accounting workflows firsthand. The system architecture is purpose-built to serve both real estate and finance teams and will continue to evolve based on deep understanding of cross-functional collaboration. AI-powered automation will accelerate the platform’s ability to deliver intelligent insights and streamline complex workflows.
Strategic market leadership: As Chief Strategy Officer, Flint will focus on high-impact strategic initiatives that position Occupier for its next phase of growth. Working closely with the CEO and Board, Flint will help accelerate the company’s AI strategy, support key partnerships and ecosystem development, and champion the voice of the customer as the company expands into the next generation of tenant-focused solutions.
About Occupier
Occupier is the only modern lease management and accounting platform that unifies real estate strategy and finance compliance without compromise. Purpose-built specifically for tenants, Occupier delivers AI-powered automation, intuitive experiences, and architecture designed from the ground up to serve both real estate and finance teams as equals, one platform where strategic portfolio insights and audit-ready compliance work seamlessly together. Backed by Unbundled Capital, Occupier serves innovative companies across North America. Learn more at www.occupier.com.
About Unbundled Capital
Unbundled Capital is a permanent capital investment firm based in Austin, Texas. The firm partners with innovative, high-growth vertical software companies transforming traditional industries. With a flexible, long-term approach and hands-on operational support, Unbundled partners with vertical software companies to unlock potential, reshape industries, and create the market leaders of tomorrow. For more information, visit www.unbundledcapital.com.
