Boardwave

Looking to supercharge your growth journey in 2025? At the heart of our new Boardwave Accelerate Programme, Boardwave Breakout Groups uniquely support your personalised scaling journey, by bringing together a small group of 6-8 like-minded founders, CEOs, and leaders from across the software sector to share insights, solve challenges, and accelerate their businesses - together. Groups are thoughtfully curated based on growth stage, location (including a virtual pan-European cohort), and focus sectors or interests, ensuring you connect with peers who truly understand your challenges and goals. Each cohort is assigned a Coach or Moderator, who will conduct sessions in the local language, and who will be with you throughout your group's development journey. We also match groups with one of our Patrons or Nextwavers, who are some of the industry's most successful leaders. And when you need external professional help, for tricky problems you can't solve together, you have access to a panel of Boardwave Experts for additional guidance and support. Hear some of our members and moderators speak about the transformative impact of being part of a Breakout Group. From valuable connections to practical support, find out why it’s been essential for their growth. Ready to take your business to the next level? Apply now to be part of our next induction in January: https://lnkd.in/egvVbebc #Boardwave #MakingWaves

This morning, we had the privilege of co-hosting a powerful breakfast event with our partner OakNorth, and our impact partner Bookmark Reading Charity, exploring how business leaders can thrive while embedding purpose at the core of their organisations.  The session featured a thoughtful panel discussion moderated by Valentina Kristensen, Corporate Affairs Director at OakNorth Bank, with insights from:  • Dawn Marriott, Serial Chair, Hg   • Isabel Kelly, Founder, Profit with Purpose  • Laura Burke, Head of Fundraising, Bookmark Reading Key takeaways included:  • Make purpose part of your company’s DNA and keep it front and centre daily  • Resource your purpose properly, report on it regularly - and repeat.   • Connect purpose to commercial outcomes to create sustainable impact. The theme of authenticity and consistency was echoed in an inspiring keynote by Dr John Blakey, CEO executive coach and author of Force for Good. He encouraged leaders to:  • Map weekly actions to their core values  • Host quarterly purpose check-ins with their teams   • Be the “light in the room” when things feel uncertain A huge thank you to all our speakers for their thought- provoking ideas, and to Laura Burke from Bookmark Reading Charity, for taking the time to explain the incredible work the charity does to help improve children’s literacy across the UK. A brilliant morning of ideas, connection, and purpose-driven leadership. #Boardwave #MakingWaves

You’ll not want to miss this week’s episode of the The Difference Engine tech strategy podcast, the second in a series of interviews of European tech leaders brought to you in association with Boardwave. The Boardwave network is a powerful community of tech Founders, CEOs, Chairs, Independent NEDs & their Investors from across Europe, representing software companies at every stage of development. This week Paul Maher and Jonathan Simnett are joined by Boardwave member and patron Dr. Steve Garnett. One of the most important figures in the European tech scene in recent decades, Steve is best known for building CRM Category leaders Salesforce and Siebel Systems in EMEA from scratch as well as being a key player in Oracle’s rise to dominance. From a council estate in Liverpool, to a PhD in Nuclear Engineering at The University of Manchester, to the top of the enterprise software industry, Steve’s journey is fascinating, remarkable and inspiring. We explore his path to success and the invaluable lessons he’s learned along the way and gain a rare insight into what it’s like working directly with West Coast software founder titans Larry Ellison, Tom Siebel and Marc Benioff. A mentor for generations of software executives and now a prolific SaaS tech investor and board member, find out from Steve why a compelling vision is vital for success; why focus is essential in scaling at the speed required for Category leadership and how, even as an out-and-out Category leader Salesforce continued to emphasise its difference and focus on customers. Find out too from a man who was there at the time why Ellison’s sweary `light bulb ‘moment wasn't about inspiration, how when Benioff wanted an elevator pitch from a founder he meant it literally and why Siebels' sudden academic snobbery misfired . And whole lot more... Click the link in the comments to listen to Episode 46 and all previous episodes of The Difference Engine 👇 #boardwave #CEO #Chairs #NEDS #Oracle #Siebel #Salesforce #nasdaq #ipo #EMEA #SaaS #manchesteruniversity #category #categorydesign #strategy #business #management #leadership #startup #scaleup #techstrategy #podcast #investment #mergers #acqusitions #mergersandacquisitions #technology #tech #liverpool #enterprisesoftware #database #applications #sanfrancisco #logica #ingres #informix #siliconvalley #peoplesoft #cloud #generalelectric #Harvard #Stanford #MIT #Oxford #Cambridge #micrcosoft #podcast

The third session of Boardwave's Managing Your Exits Masterclass series gives you behind the scenes access to the exit process, from the perspective of the Private Equity buyer. Our speakers include Joel Greenwood, Founder of Alpha Advisory Partners LLP; Simon Peet, Partner at Livingbridge; and Irina Hemmers, Partner at Thoma Bravo. They will help you understand the key drivers that motivate a buyer and uncover the difference between Venture Capital and the mechanics of Private Equity. By listening, you will also gain insights into how they expect to motivate the management team post-deal, the role of “Management Rollover”, and how “leverage” works. Boardwave members can access this session here: https://lnkd.in/e6HHEMhw #Boardwave #MakingWaves

We are excited to share the second episode in our podcast collaboration with Categorical, the team behind The Difference Engine. This conversation features Steve Garnett, Boardwave Patron, SaaS investor, and seasoned board leader. Formerly Chair of Salesforce in Europe, Steve built and scaled its operations in EMEA from scratch, having done the same at Siebel and Oracle before that. From a council estate in Liverpool to earning a PhD in Nuclear Engineering, and ultimately rising to the top of the enterprise software industry, Steve’s story is as inspiring as it is instructive. Hosted by Paul Maher and Jonathan Simnett, this episode explores: the value of a clear, compelling vision;  how the contrasting leadership styles of software founder titans Larry Ellison, Tom Siebel and Marc Benioff led to the differing success of Oracle, Salesforce and Siebel Systems; and the defining lessons from Steve’s extraordinary career. To listen to this episode, click here: https://lnkd.in/eqJXNHs8 #Boardwave #MakingWaves

In the second session of our eight-part 'Optimising Your Exit' masterclass, we dive into valuations and how to maximise them, as this is a priority for many leaders after working so tirelessly to get to the point of exit. Host Joel Greenwood, Founder of Alpha Advisory Partners LLP, sits down with Nandan Shinkre, Managing Director at Jefferies, and Nicholas Padgett, Partner at McKinsey & Company, to divulge how businesses are typically valued, how to create longer term value, and what you can do to achieve a higher multiple at exit. These experts also elaborate on the importance of competitive tension, and what factors influence the exit multiple. Boardwave members can watch the session here: https://lnkd.in/eAtdfVVC #Boardwave #MakingWaves

We're delighted to be collaborating with Boardwave partner Propel to bring members together for an exclusive conversation on what it really takes to scale their businesses. We will be sitting down with Abakar Saidov, Co-Founder & CEO of Beamery, who transformed a small startup into a $1 billion tech-talent leader. He will be joined by Louise Hill, Co-Founder & CEO, GoHenry, who's been driving record-breaking crowdfunding, with $125M in funding, and a global expansion. #Boardwave #MakingWaves

I feel incredibly lucky to be on the road to recovery, following double heart bypass surgery in January. Not without its drama, especially when combined with Parkinson's, but here I am relatively fit and well. So many people offered their love, care and support, which gave me the strength to battle on. I cannot tell you how much each act of kindness meant to me, thank you to each and every one of my friends & family - this is something I will never forget. And especially to Jess, my wife, who has been my tower of strength & love from start to finish. One of my oldest friends, Trevor, who I met in Coventry at Poly in the 1980s, challenged me, in my rehab & recovery programme, to join him in a cycle ride, to raise urgently needed funds for research into a cure for Parkinson's. You can read Trevor's story here: https://lnkd.in/emYQ3eYD This represents a significant challenge for me and a goal to strive for as I aim to get my fitness back. I haven't ridden a bike for more than 10k in a decade or more. Both Trevor and I would be incredibly grateful if you would consider sponsoring us on each of our Justgiving pages, as we raise funds for Cure Parkinson's - a charity and cause which I work closely with, to help identify and fund new research into a cure for this awful degenerative disease. Thank you

Boardwave’s mission is to accelerate the growth of the European Software industry, by providing our members with the tools they need to fuel the success of their businesses. However, how do you measure success, and how do you know if you’re successful compared to others in the industry? We’re very excited to announce our partnership with BenchSights, the software and analytics platform for benchmarking SaaS businesses. Unlike traditional surveys, which can often be laborious and ill-suited, BenchSights allows members to input their data easily,  resulting in robust, up-to-date analytics. You can hear more about this partnership from our co-founder and CEO Phill Robinson, and BenchSights' founder and CEO David Spitz, in the video below. If you are a Boardwave member looking to benchmark your business against both fellow private and public companies in the industry, log in to Boardwave’s new platform here: https://lnkd.in/eVqMFFnd #Boardwave #MakingWaves

In the first episode of our new eight session series, Joel Greenwood, Founder of Alpha Advisory Partners LLP, sits down with Laura Maddison, Partner at Arma Partners, Anton Black, Partner and Head of Technology at Rothschild & Co, and Thomas AP Koehrer, Co-Head of EMEA TMT Investment Banking & Head of EMEA Tech Investment Banking at Bank of America. The session gives an overview of M&A markets, what makes a successful exit, key exit objectives and stakeholder alignment. The experts also touch on how to make your business saleable, the process options, and who should buy your business. Boardwave members can watch the session here: https://lnkd.in/ettvc6fc #Boardwave #MakingWaves