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

We’re delighted to be renewing our partnership with Travers Smith, a standout firm in the Boardwave ecosystem and a consistent source of expert insight and practical support for our community. From sharing highly-valued thought leadership, including expert guides and perspectives on key legal and strategic challenges, to offering trusted advice to software leaders at every stage of growth, Travers Smith has been a true partner in every sense. Their team brings deep expertise in M&A, investment, technology & outsourcing and governance, and a genuine commitment to helping our members scale with confidence. Here’s to another year of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and supporting Europe’s most ambitious software leaders. Welcome back, Travers Smith!

For the second time this week, we came together in London to not only network but learn from some of the most inspirational leaders in the European software industry. In partnership with Propel, this morning's event gave Boardwave members the opportunity to hear the candid scaling stories of three remarkable leaders: Abakar Saidov, CEO of Beamery; Louise Hill, co-founder & CEO of GoHenry; and Erin Platts, CEO of Octopus Ventures. Moderated by Propel founder Melina Jacovou, the conversation unpacked the highs and lows of scaling, and the role hiring talent had to play at every stage. Key insights included: • Exercising caution when things are going well - don't be tempted to overspend too quickly • Ensure every hire goes through a culture screen to protect values and team dynamics • Know when it's not the right hire - and act quickly • Above all, keep your North Star, customers, and purpose front and centre. We’re hugely grateful to our panel for their honesty and insights, to Propel for partnering with us on this event, and to our members for continuing to share and support one another. #Boardwave #MakingWaves

Founders and CEOs in the software industry are facing a perfect storm: generational shifts, restructuring demands and the ever-present push for profitability. To help our members tackle these challenges, we are sitting down with Erika Brodnock MBE, Co-Founder & CEO of Kinhub, for an exclusive webinar designed to help leaders navigate workforce transformation through data-driven insights and proven strategies. There are a select amount of places left on this webinar, and we’d recommend Boardwave members get involved! By attending, you will gain:  • Exclusive insights – Explore the latest Workforce Trends Report, packed with fresh data and actionable takeaways for leaders driving change. • Expert guidance – Gain firsthand knowledge from Erika Brodnock, who will share real-world experience and tested strategies. • Practical tools – Learn how to harness people analytics to build compelling, data-driven business cases and drive strategic impact. Boardwave members can register here: https://lnkd.in/e-HBzXzr #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