ERP Provider Forterro Announces New, Europe-Based Executives Amid Continued Growth
Forterro, a group of companies that deliver enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to small- and medium-sized businesses, today announced the appointment of two new executives to lead the company into a new phase of growth in its core market, Europe.
Dean Forbes, a longtime, U.K.-based software executive who was most recently the president of The Access Group, was named Forterro’s chief executive. Paul Smolinski, the former chief financial officer of HR and payroll software firm CoreHR, was named CFO. The two U.K.-based leaders have been tapped to continue Forterro’s growth strategy in Europe, working with the company’s strategic leadership teams across the group’s primary business units in France, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Forbes joins Forterro after an extensive career in executive and senior leadership roles for a number of international software companies. Most recently he led the growth and expansion of CoreHR, a UK HCM software provider, across Europe. CoreHR was acquired by The Access Group, where Forbes subsequently served as president and executive board member. Prior to CoreHR, Forbes was CEO of Paris-headquartered SaaS software company KDS, where he led the successful growth and international expansion of the firm, leading to its acquisition by American Express. Earlier in his career, Forbes held senior leadership roles at Philadelphia HQ’d Primavera Systems and, subsequently, Oracle where he was global vice president for sales and marketing for the PPM Division. Forbes brings this wealth of experience to Forterro and its acquired companies, which include abas Software (Germany); BPSC (Poland); Clip Industrie, Silog and Sylob (France); Jeeves and Infocube (Sweden); and ProConcept (Switzerland). Forterro is backed by global, technology-focused investment firm Battery Ventures.
“I am thrilled to become part of such a strong group of ERP companies, who are all successfully operating in one of the strongest, most steadily growing markets in enterprise software,” Forbes said. “The cornerstone of our ongoing success will be to continue investing in the market leadership positions of local and niche ERP software businesses throughout Europe. I am excited about leading the next stage of the Forterro journey as we look to continue to grow the business aggressively, both organically and through further acquisitions.”
“Bringing in new, Europe-based leadership is part of the natural evolution of Forterro,” said Dave Tabors, a Forterro board member and Battery Ventures private equity partner. “Former CEO Jeff Tognoni, former COO Scott Malia, and the rest of the U.S.-based Forterro leadership team have done an outstanding job of growing the business by evaluating, acquiring, and operating ERP companies. To push Forterro into its next stage of development, however, it is time to cultivate leadership talent in closer proximity to our business unit operations. We are very excited to work with Dean as he prepares Forterro for its next stage of growth.”
“We have spent the last several years working closely with our counterparts in Europe to build sustainable growth strategies and unique operating approaches for each business unit and product market,” added Jeff Tognoni, who is stepping down after leading Forterro and growing revenue more than seven-fold since the initial acquisition of Jeeves Information Systems in 2012. “The strength of our local teams and their businesses lets me know that part of our job is done, and that Forterro is ready for new challenges and continued success under the leadership of Dean and Paul.”
ABOUT FORTERRO
Forterro is a group of companies that deliver ERP software to SMEs in specialized geographical or vertical markets. Backed by the investment of Battery Ventures, Forterro operates business units in Sweden, Switzerland, France, Poland, and Germany, as well as regional office locations and research and development centers around the world. Through its ever-growing ecosystem of IP and capital, Forterro collaborates with local management teams to strengthen the solution offerings and operational performance of its portfolio companies. For more information, visit www.forterro.com.
ABOUT BATTERY VENTURES
Battery partners with exceptional founders and management teams developing category-defining businesses in markets including software and services, enterprise infrastructure, online marketplaces, healthcare IT and industrial technology. Founded in 1983, the firm backs companies at all stages, ranging from seed and early to growth and buyout, and invests globally from six strategic locations: Boston; San Francisco and Menlo Park, Calif.; Herzliya, Israel; London; and New York. Follow the firm on Twitter @BatteryVentures, visit our website at www.battery.com and find a full list of Battery's portfolio companies here.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210217005237/en/
Contact information
Forterro
Melissa Stahley
Chief Marketing Officer
(317) 908-7050
melissa.stahley@forterro.com
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Mercans Launches the World’s First AI-Powered Globally Intelligent Workforce & Leave Management Engine17.12.2025 11:50:00 CET | Press Release
Mercans, a global leader in payroll technology, workforce management, and HR SaaS solutions, today announced the launch of its next-generation Workforce Management (WFM) and Leave Management Engine - the world’s first platform capable of evaluating unevaluated time and attendance data against any country-specific legislation and client-specific policy framework, and converting it into fully evaluated, payroll-ready time transactions. This breakthrough engine fundamentally transforms how organizations manage time, attendance, and leave across borders by eliminating manual rule interpretation, fragmented systems, and country-by-country customizations. Solving a Global Workforce Challenge Traditional time and attendance systems capture raw or unevaluated data - clock-ins, clock-outs, absences, and leave requests - but fail to interpret that data in context. The result is heavy dependence on manual validations, local heuristics, and payroll adjustments that are error-prone, non-scalable, a
EIG’s MidOcean Energy Completes Acquisition of Interest in Canada from PETRONAS17.12.2025 09:58:00 CET | Press Release
MidOcean Energy (“MidOcean”), a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company formed and managed by EIG, a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastructure sectors, today announced the completion of its acquisition of a 20% interest in PETRONAS’ key entities in Canada. The transaction includes a 20% interest in the North Montney Upstream Joint Venture (“NMJV”), which holds PETRONAS’ upstream investment in Canada, and a 20% interest in the North Montney LNG Limited Partnership (“NMLLP”), which holds PETRONAS’ 25% participating interest in the LNG Canada Project. This strategic investment positions MidOcean across the LNG value chain, securing upstream resources and downstream liquefaction through the LNG Canada Project, with around 0.7 MTPA of associated LNG and potential to grow further. RBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisor to MidOcean, and Latham & Watkins acted as legal advisor. About EIG EIG is a leading institutional investor in the global energy and infrastru
Nexo Announces Landmark Crypto Partnership with Tennis Australia for Australian Open and Summer of Tennis17.12.2025 09:00:00 CET | Press Release
Nexo, the premier digital assets platform, has entered a landmark multi-year global partnership with Tennis Australia, becoming the Official Crypto Partner of the Australian Open and the Summer of Tennis, including the United Cup, Adelaide International, Brisbane International, and Hobart International. This agreement marks the first time a digital asset company has partnered with a Grand Slam tournament, affirming Nexo’s prestige, long-term vision, and leadership at the intersection of elite sport and digital assets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251216497915/en/ Antoni Trenchev, Co-founder, Nexo, noted: “The Australian Open stands at the intersection of excellence and ambition – precisely where Nexo positions itself. Our partnership reflects a shared commitment to disciplined performance and long-term thinking. We are honored to join Tennis Australia in elevating the sport while showcasing the value of int
Jerrod Chong, Yubico ’ s Chief Operating Officer, appointed as acting CEO17.12.2025 08:05:00 CET | Press Release
Yubico (NASDAQ STOCKHOLM: YUBICO), the creator of the most secure passkeys and the leading provider of hardware authentication security keys, today announced that Jerrod Chong, Yubico’s current Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed to serve as acting CEO. Mattias Danielsson will be stepping down from his role as CEO of Yubico. "I am very pleased that Jerrod has accepted the role of acting CEO. With his extensive experience in cybersecurity and twelve years in senior leadership at Yubico, I am confident that he will lead Yubico on a continued path of growth and he will ensure Yubico maintains and strengthens its leading position. On behalf of the board, I also want to extend our sincere thanks to Mattias Danielsson for his hard work and significant contributions to Yubico’s development as a respected leader and colleague over sixteen years. We deeply appreciate his commitment to Yubico over the years," says Patrik Tigerschiöld, Chairman of the Board. "Yubico is entering an excitin
VeritasChain Unveils VAP Architecture, New Auditability Research, and Confirms Submissions to 58 Regulators Globally17.12.2025 08:00:00 CET | Press Release
VeritasChain today unveiled its Verifiable AI Provenance Framework (VAP) architecture, published new research on verifiable audit trails, and confirmed informational submissions to 58 regulatory authorities across 43 jurisdictions. These milestones advance VeritasChain’s mission to establish a global framework for verifiable auditability in AI and algorithmic trading. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251216433807/en/ Map indicates jurisdictions where regulatory outreach or informational submissions have been made as of Dec 2025. Verifiable AI Provenance Framework (VAP) VAP is a layered assurance architecture designed for independent verification of AI decision-making. It is not a single product, but a framework defining how cryptographic evidence and third-party verification interoperate across diverse systems. The architecture records decision-to-execution events as immutable audit trails, facilitating regulat
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom