Unit4 has announced that Mike Ettling is to step down as CEO. Simon Paris is taking over the role at the end of January. Ettling, who is a shareholder in Unit4, will assist Paris during a transition period. The announcement did not reveal what Ettling plans next.
Unit4 replied to a question about his future, noting, “Mike’s plans are yet to be announced, but through his experience transforming and growing Unit4 under private equity (PE) ownership, he is keen to put those skills into practice, supporting more high-potential technology companies to evolve and succeed.”
The inference is that he may look for non-exec board roles. Or possibly support one of several private equity firms he has worked with in its portfolio.
Ettling has led Unit4 for nearly six years, joining in April 2019. He has overseen the company through a period of growth, leading the firm’s evolution to a cloud-first recurring revenue-based business. 80% of its income is recurring revenue. He refined the focus of Unit4, transitioning it to a people-centric global ERP system. Along the way, it has divested products such as student management, Bedrijfssoftware and Unit4 Wholesale.
As when Ettling took on the role from Stephan Sieber in 2019, there will be a period of transition. Thus, enabling a seamless handover that has been well planned. Ettling and the Unit4 board have been identifying and collaborating with the right candidate to ensure success.
Morgan Seigler, Managing Director at TA Associates, Unit4’s majority investor, said, “Mike has been an exceptional leader, and we are grateful for his tremendous contributions. We believe Simon’s leadership, vision, and experience will ensure a natural transition and help drive Unit4’s continued success.”
Who is Simon Paris?
Paris joins Unit4 from Finastra, the Enterprise Software company focused on Financial Services which he has led as CEO for nearly seven years. He has over 25 years of experience within the software industry, many of which with global ERP players. Before Finastra, he held several leadership roles at SAP. Rising to President, Industry Cloud, leading SAP’s end-to-end Field and Development strategy & execution across 25 Industries.
He also spent four years at Infor as VP of EMEA Global Accounts. Paris started his career at McKinsey. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BA in Business, French and Spanish from the European Business School. He currently holds two non-executive roles, one with Thomson Reuters and a second with Everbridge.
Ettling and Paris comment
Ettling noted, “Simon is an outstanding leader with a proven track record and someone I have had the privilege of working with successfully in the past. He brings a unique ability to inspire teams and the vision to guide Unit4 through its next phase of growth. Over the past few years, we have transformed the company from good to great, establishing it as a global leader in SaaS ERP for service industries.
“Simon has all the qualities needed to build on this foundation and lead us toward our ambitious goal of €1 billion in revenue. I am immensely proud of what we’ve achieved together during my tenure and grateful to the incredible team members across the organization who have embraced our values and driven success for our customers. The future is full of opportunity, and I am excited for the business as it enters this exciting new chapter.”
Commenting on his appointment, Paris said, “I am honored to step into the role of CEO at Unit4, a company with a remarkable legacy and an exciting future. Unit4 has established itself as a leader in people-centric ERP, and I am inspired by the innovation, passion, and dedication of its people. As we embark on this next chapter, I am committed to building on Unit4’s strengths, driving sustainable growth, and creating even greater value for our customers, partners and stakeholders. I look forward to working closely with the talented team and hope to meet as many as possible in my first few months.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean?
Unit4 will shortly begin a new chapter, with Paris assuming the role at the end of January. It will be interesting to see how he leads the company forward. Like Finastra (owned by Vista Equity Partners), Unit4 is also private equity-owned (TA Associates), so Paris has good experience working with funding partners.
That Unit4 lured such a successful leader as Paris to lead the organisation is an indication of how far it has come under Ettling. And its potential for future growth. Paris has all the right experience to lead Unit4 to further success.
What will be interesting over the next few months is to see what changes he introduces to the structure and leadership at Unit4.
