Signpost Appointment (IMage credit Pixabay/geralt)Oracle partner Inoapps has appointed Lyle Ekdahl to its global board as a non-executive director. The appointment of the retired Oracle leader brings an experienced US executive onto the board. Headquartered in Aberdeen, Inoapps has a single office in Houston, and this appointment indicates the direction of growth for the company.

Ekdahl spent 17 years at Oracle before retiring last year. He worked in product management for Oracle. Ekdahl lead development, quality assurance, product management and strategy, quality engineering, and business development for JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and JD Edwards World applications. He also led product strategy for Oracle Cloud ERP Advanced Industries product strategy and development, including Oil and Gas, Asset Intensive solutions and US Federal Financials. Before Oracle, he was vice president for marketing at Channelpoint; he also worked at Siebel Systems, Scopus Technology, and Platinum Software.

Lyle Ekdahl, Non-Executive Director for Inoapps
Lyle Ekdahl, Non-Executive Director for Inoapps

Lyle Ekdahl, non-executive director for Inoapps, said: “I have worked with ERP customers throughout my career and have been lucky enough to be a part of multiple industry inflection points and the Oracle evolution. The consistent theme is ensuring enterprise software supports business growth. Given that technology and applications move forward and change so quickly the need for partners who can help customers grow, seize opportunity and competitive advantage is critical. Few partners are as well-positioned to deliver on this need as Inoapps at the current time. I am excited to re-focus my energy, experience and knowledge within the industry and Oracle ecosystem at such an innovative and aggressive growth-oriented partner as Inoapps.”

US growth beckons

The appointment comes three months after a £10 million investment by Abry Partners into Inoapps. At the time, Inoapps stated that the investment would help with its global growth ambitions in the US and Asia. This appointment sees it gain an experienced leader with deep experience and relations in the Oracle network.

Andy Bird, CEO of Inoapps said: “We are continuing to invest in bringing leading talent to Inoapps to meet our stated ambition to become the largest Oracle-only global partner in the world. Lyle is one of the best-known faces within the Oracle Applications community, and his experience as a senior executive at Oracle will help us accelerate the drive towards our goals. Securing someone of Lyle’s stature to join Inoapps, is yet another validation that we are on the right track with our strategy. Since the recent investment from Abry Partners we have already made several strategic hires to drive forward our exciting growth plans.”

Enterprise Times: What does this mean

This is a clever move by Inoapps. In Ekdahl, it has found a leader that will help them navigate the US market without making expensive executive hires. His advice should help shape a careful expansion, and his network of contacts should enable Inoapps to find the right leaders across the country.

Ekdahl also brings other skills and experience to the Oracle-only partner. Debra Lilley, vice president of delivery growth and excellence Inoapps, commented: “Lyle has extensive experience of Oracle’s product family and evolution, and has a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and well-connected figures in the ecosystem. His ability to develop real customer intimacy and improve the customer experience with account teams will prove to be a valuable asset as Inoapps continues to grow.”

What will be interesting are the next steps that Inoapps will take on its growth path. In which markets will it focus energy, and how will it expand? £10 million is not a big war chest to start a major acquisition strategy. Will it look to acquire some smaller Oracle partners or invest in organic growth? Bird will hope that with Ekdahl as a non-exec, he can help attract other Oracle experts.

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