EV payment specialist Paythru has appointed Sam Sockwell as executive vice president, Americas, strengthening its leadership team as it expands into the North American market.

Sam Sockwell, executive VP, Americas, will lead Paythru’s expansion across North and Latin America

Sockwell previously led CBRE’s EV charging infrastructure division across the Americas, building solutions that generated more than $150m (£112.3m) in annualised revenue. At Paythru, he will lead the company’s expansion across North and Latin America as operators face growing pressure to improve charging reliability and uptime.

“The hardware buildout is well underway, but drivers can still arrive at chargers and not be able to pay,” said Sockwell. “That’s lost revenue for operators, and it’s becoming one of the defining issues in whether charging networks succeed or fail.”

Sockwell brings first-hand insights into how payment reliability impacts utilisation, revenue and site economics, as well as how enterprise buyers evaluate total cost of ownership when making large-scale infrastructure investments. These will be critical in supporting Paythru’s rapid growth.

Headquartered in the UK, Paythru simplifies payments for EV charge point operators. Its platform enables operators to accept card, mobile and Plug & Charge payments through a single system, simplifies settlement and reporting, and reduces transaction failures to near-zero, according to the business.

Paythru already supports live EV charging deployments and EV fleet payment schemes in the UK, including as the payments provider for the Duracell E-Charge charging network.

The expansion also comes at a key time for the US EV charging market, as the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program drives new standards for accessible, reliable and interoperable charging. Paythru enables operators to deliver open payment experiences, including contactless card payments, while aligning with these emerging requirements.

As EVP Americas at Paythru, Sockwell will work directly with charging operators, fleet owners and mobility platforms to deploy payment infrastructure that meets the operational and economic realities of running EV charging networks at scale.

Sockwell said payments are becoming one of the defining factors in whether charging networks succeed or fail.

“The US market is at an inflection point. The hardware buildout is well underway, but a driver can still arrive at a charger and not be able to pay. That’s not just a user experience issue; it’s lost revenue for operators.”

He added: “Enterprise buyers understand margin. They understand total cost of ownership. And they are starting to understand that a poor payment experience directly impacts utilisation and revenue.

“What drew me to Paythru is that it was built for this problem. It’s a platform that understands how charging networks generate revenue and gives operators the tools to turn payments from a source of friction into a competitive advantage. The Americas market is ready for that conversation, and I’m excited to lead it.”

Keith Brown, founder and CEO of Paythru, commented: “The Americas represent a strategically important market for Paythru. Charging networks are expanding fast, and the pressure on operators to perform commercially is intensifying. Sam is the right person to take our platform to that market and show operators what best-in-class payment infrastructure can do for their business.”