Experienced tech veterans appointed to Cooper Software board following PE investment

14/12/2021
Paul Bosson and Richard Lewis

ENTERPRISE Resource Planning (ERP) software specialist Cooper Software has made two senior appointments with Richard Lewis taking on the role of chair and Paul Bosson becoming a non-executive director following a multi-million pound investment backed by private equity firm YFM Equity Partners (YFM) in November 2021.

Cooper Software is an independent provider of products, consulting services and 24/7 support for ERP, helping businesses manage day-to-day functions and bringing the flow of data between these processes into a unified platform. The business has provided more than 1,500 enterprise solutions for over 300 clients worldwide.

Richard’s and Paul’s appointments further strengthen the Cooper Software board. With a strong sales background, Richard has also managed and exited his own business, dns Limited which was sold to Secureworks and later acquired by Dell. He has 10 years’ experience of working with high growth businesses in both non-executive and advisory roles, across multiple technology sectors, supporting growth, operational excellence and financial robustness. 

Richard has been involved in a number of successful acquisitions and ‘growth’ investment rounds. His current positions include chair of digital marketing software and service provider Queryclick; chair of smart home security systems business Boundary Technologies; and chair of earth observation platform Earth Blox.

Over a career spanning almost 30 years, Paul has worked for a number of blue-chip organisations including Telstra and BT. He has also held several CFO positions with global organisations and private equity-backed technology businesses such as Sophis, Masternaut and The Access Group. Among his current roles, he is a non-executive director of another YFM-backed software business, global e-learning platform Elucidat.

Cooper Software comprises two divisions: the first specialises in supplying and integrating IFS, a global ERP system headquartered in Sweden. Cooper Software is among IFS’s longest standing global partners and one of only 15 partners to be accredited with Gold Channel Partner Status, as well as being an IFS reseller. In addition, Cooper Software has a separate division which has developed its own SaaS solution, ProScope, to complement the Oracle NetSuite ERP platform, with which the business has partnered since 2014. Already, the company has sold ProScope to businesses around the world, including in the USA, Scandinavia, Australia, Europe and Africa.

Steve Harrison, partner at YFM and Cooper Software board member, commented: “Unusually, Richard is experienced in both services lead business and software providers making him a great fit for the company, as well as being well versed in international growth. His understanding of how to build channel sales as a route to market will be particularly valuable as we expand the ProScope offering.”

“As a well-established non-executive with a background as a CFO, Paul adds further depth in strength. Having worked with YFM in a similar capacity on the Elucidat board, we are well aware of his insight into the software and services sectors, including his experience with The Access Group, a PE backed business that focusses on business applications and the ERP market. Both Richard and Paul bring relevant skills and vast sector experience to the board at a key point in Cooper Software’s development.”

Cooper Software’s CEO, Frank Cooper, said: “We are delighted that Richard and Paul are joining us, bringing a wealth of experience and significant market knowledge to the business. We believe they will offer much added value to our strategic plans as we look to grow the business and strengthen our position as a market leader in the delivery of our services and solutions for IFS users and expand our ProScope customer base.”    

Chair of Cooper Software, Richard Lewis, added: “I’m delighted to be joining Cooper Software at such an exciting time for the business. On the IFS side of the business, we are fortunate to be partnering with a market leader that continues to invest in its solution and deliver significant value to clients, and the team at Cooper Software has built a position as the prime implementation specialist, initially in the UK and now across Europe, assisting our customers to drive the benefits of a full ERP solution in an efficient, high quality implementation methodology that is proven to be robust.

“In tandem, what the team have been able to produce and deliver to clients on the ProScope side of the business is nothing short of exceptional. Extending NetSuite’s solution into new industries and allowing those clients to leverage the full breadth of NetSuite and ProScope provides a huge opportunity for the company and one I’m delighted to be a part of, alongside Paul and our investment partner YFM who bring skills and experience of so many other successful engagements.” 

YFM has a national portfolio of software and tech businesses, including data transformation software company Matillion in Manchester; Springboard in Milton Keynes which provides footfall data to the retail industry; and enterprise database management business DSP Explorer.

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