Mike Ettling hands over the reins to Simon Paris after six years of innovation and growth
Unit4, a leader in enterprise cloud applications for people-centric organizations, announced that Simon Paris has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), succeeding Mike Ettling, who will hand over the reins at the end of January. Mike has led Unit4 for almost six years, guiding the company through significant growth, a transition to recurring revenue and establishing it as a major global player in Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.
Simon Paris is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience in the technology industry, including leadership positions with Infor and SAP. He most recently served as CEO at Finastra, a global provider of financial services software applications, where he led its transformation and growth strategy to become one of the largest FinTech companies in the world.
The transition ensures strong continuity for Unit4 by building on a proven strategy that has driven its evolution through a ‘good to great’ phase to become a leading vendor for SaaS ERP for services industries. Mike and the Unit4 Board have been carefully planning and collaborating on this transition, ensuring a seamless handover and sustained momentum.
Read More: SalesTechStar Interview with Ari Widlansky, Managing Director and COO – US for Esker
Under Mike Ettling’s leadership, Unit4 has undergone a transformation into a true Cloud-first business, achieving significant milestones in both product innovation and revenue growth. Recurring revenue now accounts for 80 percent of total revenue. This success is fueled by sustained organic growth, a robust cloud migration strategy, and industry-leading customer satisfaction scores, solidifying the company’s reputation as the trusted partner for mid-market organizations. Its specialized, industry-focused applications empower customers to effectively manage their people, projects, and operations with exceptional efficiency and reliability.
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.”
Read More: The Future of Sales Leadership: How to Adapt and Thrive in a Changing Market
Commenting on Simon’s appointment, Mike said: “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, Simon 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.”