IFS has announced the appointment of Stephanie Poore as Managing Director for the UK and Ireland. This is a significant position within the IFS hierarchy, with the UKI being a major region for the organisation. She takes over the role from Alan Laing, who joined IFS in 2018. Laing is now the Chief Customer Strategist of South West Europe and Latin America and Chairman of IFS UK & Ireland.
The appointment is a promotion for Poore. She was previously Sales Director UKI. Poore first joined the company in 2016 as a customer service coordinator. She switched to a sales role as an account manager in 2018 and was appointed Sales Director in 2022. It has been a meteoric rise studded with achievements. Those achievements included the award of Global Sales Director of the Year in 2022. She also co-founded the Women in ERP Podcast, a platform dedicated to advocating for diversity within the ERP sector.
André Robberts, President of South & Western Europe & LATAM, said, “We are thrilled to have Stephanie head up our UK and Ireland operations. Her exceptional leadership qualities, coupled with a profound understanding of our industry and market, make her the ideal choice for this role.
“Stephanie’s dedication to advocating for women in technology, including her active position within the IFS Global Women committee, further aligns with our values at IFS. These values include our commitment to supporting the development of women in leadership within technology and providing equitable opportunities based on merit. As IFS continues to grow at an accelerated pace, ensuring we have a diverse talent pool will be key to our differentiation and success.”
Gender diversity is further strengthened
As an advocate for women in the ERP technology sector, Poore is another welcome addition to the IFS leadership team. Her promotion follows appointments of Belinda Finch (Chief Information Officer), Cathie Hall (Chief Customer Officer), and Hoda Mansour (Chief Operating Officer, APJ, MEA). Importantly, they are not the only senior figures within the organisation who are women. Twelve of the thirty one people listed on the IFS Leadership are female. The board has a similar ratio in terms of gender diversity; three out of nine are women.
What is different from many female appointments is that IFS has promoted someone who has risen rapidly through the ranks. It indicates that women are able to forge a successful career path at the global software vendor.
Poore commented, “I am both honored and excited to step into the role of Managing Director for IFS in the UK and Ireland. This opportunity is not just a professional milestone for me but also a testament to IFS’s commitment to nurturing diverse leadership. I look forward to leading our talented team towards continued growth and innovation while maintaining our focus on delivering customer-centric solutions. Together, we will strive to reinforce IFS’s position as a leader in the enterprise software space.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
IFS has experienced an unusual volume of leadership changes in recent months. At the end of last year, it appointed Max Roberts and Belinda Finch to the C-Suite. Earlier this month, Darren Roos stepped aside for Mark Moffatt to become the new CEO, and further appointments were announced.
These do not, however, appear to be actions prompted by investors getting antsy or poor performance. Instead, Moffat is building a team of trusted, existing colleagues, reinvigorating the leadership for a new surge of growth. Importantly, IFS is also not losing the experience of its former leaders who have taken more strategic positions. They will presumably advise the new leadership rather than lead the day-to-day operations. It is still a lot of changes in a short period. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.
