CEO Jeppe Rindom’s playbook: The single tool powering every executive decision at Pleo

This is the ultimate insider look. We’ve seen how travel spend works for Sales via Jan’s story, how Product & Tech keep workflows smooth with Meri, and how Dietrich’s AE role in the German region runs on a single virtual card.

For the person who started it all, our CEO and Co-Founder, Jeppe Rindom, the product is the central nervous system of the business, and it all began with a single moment of frustration a decade ago. That’s when Jeppe came up with the idea for a smarter way to handle company spending. He built Pleo to fix the chaos. Ten years later, it still powers his every decision.

The ‘before Pleo’ chaos

For Jeppe, expense management was a nagging pain point well before he developed the solution. He recalls the pre-Pleo reality: one company card shared among employees, no real visibility into what was being spent (or why), and a constant flood of receipts that may or may not ever be accounted for.

“Before Pleo, I shared my card with employees, bought subscriptions, and paid for services. I had no idea who bought what, or whether it was even needed. It was chaotic.”

Even in its earliest form, Jeppe knew the product could do more than simplify admin. It could lay the foundation for better, faster, smarter decisions; decisions that fuel scale.

Where there was once a fragmented mess of purchases, approvals, and retroactive detective work, there was now a single, intuitive system. One that automated the admin, closed the loop instantly, and gave decision-makers like Jeppe space to focus on growing the business.

Real-time data fueling high-stakes decisions 

As CEO, Jeppe is constantly weighing trade-offs: where to invest, where to cut back, when to double down. That requires real-time data he can trust, without delays, manual errors, or gaps.

That’s for Pleo to handle.

Tucked into his Apple Wallet, Jeppe’s virtual Pleo card powers all spend. But more importantly, it feeds into the broader system that categorises, matches receipts, and flags potential issues, all automatically. 

“I don’t worry about receipts anymore. Whether I’m buying online or taking an Uber, Pleo fetches receipts from my inbox or subscriptions, pairs them with the transactions, and automatically categorises them.”

The results speak for themselves. Time saved, admin reduced, and every expense instantly accounted for in the data Jeppe relies on to:

• Make capital allocation decisions based on accurate spend trends.
• Gauge profitability vs. growth strategies with a clear view of recurring costs.

• Support investor conversations with clean insights on where money goes and why.

Hands-off, eyes-on: The culture of accountability

Pleo’s real-time visibility gives Jeppe exactly what he needs as a leader: clarity without bottlenecks. He can oversee spending across teams, quickly approve or reject transactions, and instill accountability without slowing anyone down.

“The real-time transparency is a game-changer. That awareness drives healthy spending habits.”

It’s not about controlling purchases, but cultivating a culture where empowered teams make confident decisions that drive business momentum, because they know the leaders see the bigger picture.

Scaling smart: How a virtual card removes decision friction

In his role, there’s no time for expense hiccups. Jeppe’s virtual card setup means fewer delays, no physical card dependencies, and instant syncing to the platform.

“All my online activity and my Apple Pay are powered by my virtual Pleo card. It’s very rare that I need to use my physical card anymore.”

It’s a small shift, but one that allows for frictionless payments, enabling Jeppe to keep momentum while Pleo handles the rest.

Cash Management: The new frontier of financial confidence

While Jeppe’s virtual card setup enables personal speed, the challenge of managing company liquidity remains for all leaders. Managing liquidity has long been a headache for leaders: too little top-up, and transactions fail; too much, and cash sits idle. Add in multiple bank portals, manual transfers, rising FX fees, and limited oversight, and visibility becomes nearly impossible.

With the launch of our Cash Management suite, leaders are further enabled to make smarter, faster, and more confident financial decisions. Pleo’s full Cash Management offering puts finance teams in control with one clear, real-time view of every account.

This complete visibility of company spend, inside and outside of Pleo - with one simple way to track, manage, and optimise spending effortlessly, frees up time and provides real-time insights. The result is less data fragmentation, more smart decisions, and more time back for strategic work, helping keep budgets on track to avoid overspend and improve business profitability.

Compliance and confidence, in one place

Every CEO faces the pressure of staying compliant while scaling. With spend automatically categorised, tracked, and logged, Pleo ensures Jeppe can confidently navigate:

• Audit readiness with data that’s always up to date.
• Local tax and policy compliance across multiple markets.
• Stakeholder trust through financial hygiene and transparency

This is how risk management becomes a built-in feature of operations, not an afterthought.

When the system runs itself, leadership scales

Jeppe’s experience with Pleo proves a simple truth: when spend takes care of itself, leaders regain the headspace to focus on growing the business.

By automating the basics (approvals, receipts, categorisation), Pleo removes the noise and makes room for true executive work: shaping strategy, empowering teams, scaling with intention, and powering confident decisions from the top.

Next up: Ignacio Roger Vallés, Strategic Account Executive in our Southern Europe team, on how Pleo keeps sales reps nimble and client-focused, especially when your job involves plenty of last-minute travel and client dinners.