About Chris
Chris Heaslip is a dedicated entrepreneur with more than 15 startups under his belt, the most successful being Pushpay, which grew rapidly from $1 million in revenue to $100 million in revenue in just four years.
Pushpay
Chris, along with his co-founder Eliot Crowther, developed the idea for Pushpay at the end of 2010. They realized that it was possible to buy a song on iTunes quickly and easily, but when it came to giving there were a lot of barriers in the way.
As co-founder and CEO, Chris took Pushpay from an idea in Auckland to a company serving over 10,000 churches across the United States. Under his leadership the business grew from zero to more than $100 million in annual revenue and more than 400 staff across New Zealand and the United States, all in under eight years. Along the way Chris moved the company’s center of gravity to the US, built out the sales and engineering teams, and made Pushpay the leading giving and engagement platform in its market.
Pushpay was a public company for most of that journey. It listed on the New Zealand stock exchange in 2014, just three years after it was founded, and added a listing on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2016, making it one of the fastest-growing listed technology companies in the region. Chris led Pushpay as CEO through its years as a listed company until 2019, when he stepped back from the role and continued to serve on the board.
“Despite the incredible growth, the culture at Pushpay focused on caring and developing people was one of the keys to our success” Chris says.
Leadr
Based on that realization, Chris founded a startup called Leadr. He believes that great organizations develop leaders rather than hiring them. Who organizations put in leadership roles has a powerful impact on people and how those leaders make a difference in other people’s lives. As Executive Chairman, he is bringing to fruition the beliefs he holds. He is helping form the strategic direction of the new and unique leadership development software company.
“In short, Leadr is a new kind of people management software which enables one to one leadership development at scale within an organization. We do this by coming alongside existing management activities, like the one to one meeting, and making them more effective, personalized, and trackable. This leads to real people development which drives business results all managed in one simple and easy to use place.”
Amazing Life
Chris is also CEO of Amazing Life, a Plano, Texas based nonprofit that equips churches with the curriculum, media, technology and training they need to reach kids and students from birth through high school. In 2025 Orange, one of the most widely used children’s and student ministry curriculum and conference organizations in the country, joined Amazing Life, and Chris became CEO of the combined organization. He sees it as the same conviction that shaped Pushpay and Leadr, applied to the local church. The people who show up every week to serve kids deserve the best tools and the best development anyone can give them.
Under his leadership Amazing Life has brought Orange curriculum, APlay media tools, AmazingMusic worship, Amazing Leaders training and EveryChild, a sensory-friendly curriculum, together as Amazing+, the first complete 0 to 18 ministry strategy.
“Orange has always been deeply committed to Gospel-centered curriculum and resources that make an eternal impact. Amazing brings new resources, technology and opportunities that let us serve churches and families better than ever. Our goal is for every church, whatever its size, to have everything it needs to disciple the next generation and develop the leaders who serve them.”
Background
Chris has previously served as CEO of an accounting and tax consultancy and prior to that as a tax management professional and business adviser at KPMG. Chris was also an investigator at the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department.
Chris has a BCom, GradDipCom and a MTax (Hons) all from the University of Auckland. Chris lives with his wife and three children in Dallas.
A favorite guiding principle…
“Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become.”