Our team

Our team is made up of experienced operators and investors, with a background in running software businesses.

We also get on well, which we think is pretty important!

Who we are

People you’ll get to know

Gavin Cockerill

CEO

Gavin is a board director. He leads the Group and is hands-on once we find an interesting software business, helping to onboard and grow them once they join. Gavin joined the Board in January 2018. He was appointed Group CEO in May 2022.

Iain Brown

CFO

Iain is a board director. He leads our finances. Driving process and systems that help provide performance visibility to our family of businesses. Iain joined the Group in October 2019. He was appointed CFO in September 2023.

Richard Lightfoot

Director & Company Secretary

Richard is a board director. He supports the board and our M&A processes. He’s the Software Circle engine room. Richard was appointed Company Secretary in October 2015 and joined the Board in January 2018.

Roman Rothenberg

M&A Director

Roman leads our M&A process. He spends his time finding great vertical software businesses and getting to know their founders, then guides each deal through due diligence to completion and a smooth handover to our operating team.

Carolyn Jones

Group Financial Controller

Carolyn keeps our numbers in shape. She works closely with the teams across our businesses to get their accounts in order, and makes sure we capture the right information so our operators have the visibility they need to run and grow their businesses.

Dave Redfern

Portfolio Operations Manager

Dave works with leadership teams across our businesses to turn plans into results. He helps deploy our Strategy to Execution framework and supports each business on building AI maturity. Dave joined the Group in November 2024.

Jack Beresford

Group Financial Accountant

Jack is responsible for ensuring the company’s financial reporting is accurate and compliant. He prepares statutory accounts, supports audits and tax reporting, handles technical accounting matters, and helps ensure the Group meets its reporting deadlines and regulatory requirements.

Mohamed Elsawy

Portfolio Accountant

Mohamed supports year-end audits, budgeting and month-end reporting. Mohamed joined the Group in May 2023 and is studying for his ACCA qualification, with the support of Software Circle.

Siobhan Kelly

People Operations Manager

Siobhan works across the group, supporting our portfolio companies with the day-to-day people processes that keep each business running smoothly.

Carla Aspinall

Finance Manager

Carla supports month-end reporting, year-end audits, budgeting and day-to-day finance processes. She helps the team understand how they’re performing and gives them the visibility they need.

People you’ll get to know

Gavin is a board director. He leads the Group and is hands-on once we find an interesting software business, helping to onboard and grow them once they join. Gavin joined the Board in January 2018. He was appointed Group CEO in May 2022.

Iain is a board director. He leads our finances. Driving process and systems that help provide performance visibility to our family of businesses. Iain joined the Group in October 2019. He was appointed CFO in September 2023.

Carolyn Jones

Group Financial Controller

Carolyn keeps our numbers in shape. She works closely with the teams across our businesses to get their accounts in order, and makes sure we capture the right information so our operators have the visibility they need to run and grow their businesses.

Dave Redfern

Portfolio Operations Manager

Dave works with leadership teams across our businesses to turn plans into results. He helps deploy our Strategy to Execution framework and supports each business on building AI maturity. Dave joined the Group in November 2024.

Jack Beresford

Group Financial Accountant

Jack is responsible for ensuring the company’s financial reporting is accurate and compliant. He prepares statutory accounts, supports audits and tax reporting, handles technical accounting matters, and helps ensure the Group meets its reporting deadlines and regulatory requirements.

Mohamed Elsawy

Portfolio Accountant

Mohamed supports year-end audits, budgeting and month-end reporting. Mohamed joined the Group in May 2023 and is studying for his ACCA qualification, with the support of Software Circle.

Siobhan Kelly

People Operations Manager

Siobhan works across the group, supporting our portfolio companies with the day-to-day people processes that keep each business running smoothly.

Carla Aspinall

Finance Manager

Carla supports month-end reporting, year-end audits, budgeting and day-to-day finance processes. She helps the team understand how they’re performing and gives them the visibility they need.

Our non-executive team

Matthias Riechert

Chairman

Matthias is a founder and Director of P&R Investment Management Limited (“P&R”), an investment advisory firm. Previously, Matthias worked in sales and trading at Citigroup Global Markets for nine years. He is also currently a non-executive director of Dillistone Group plc.

He has an MBA from London Business School and Columbia Business School where he specialised in value investing.

Matthias was appointed to the board in October 2022.

Simon Barrell

Senior Independent
Non-Executive Director

Simon qualified as a chartered accountant in 1983 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered accountants in England and Wales. He’s held various posts as Finance Director and has experience across multiple industries working in both the public and private sectors. He has also held numerous non-executive positions for a number of public companies and continues to act as an adviser to listed and non-listed companies. He is currently a non-executive director of SRT Marine Systems plc.

Simon joined the Group in June 2018 as Interim Finance Director, was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director in January 2020 and was appointed Senior Independent Non-Executive Director in September 2024.

Brad Ormsby

Non-Executive Director

Brad Ormsby is CFO of Judges Scientific plc, an AIM listed buy and build manufacturing group which has grown from a market cap of £80m to £700m during the nine years Brad has been with the company. Brad has extensive M&A experience including multiple acquisitions at Judges Scientific plc and several international transactions at Eurovestech, a technology venture capital fund. He also led the IPO onto AIM of Kalibrate Technologies, an international software business. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Octopus AIM VCT 2 plc, a FTSE quoted investment fund.

Brad was appointed to the Board in September 2024.

Marc Maurer

Non-executive Director

Marc Maurer is COO of CHAPTERS Group, one of the Company’s largest shareholders. Marc previously worked at Constellation Software and Hg Capital & TA Associates backed Revalize. Marc oversees all operational leadership of VMS companies within CHAPTERS.

Marc was appointed to the Board in September 2024.

Frank Fischer

Non-executive Director

Frank is the Company’s largest shareholder having an interest in 105,910,910 shares in the Company (27.15% of issued share capital) via Value Focus Beteiligungs GmbH, his family investment vehicle. He is CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Shareholder Value Management AG an independent, owner-managed investment advisory firm specialising in long-term capital growth. Frank is also Head of the Supervisory Board Intershop Communications AG a public German technology company focussed on providing AI-driven and agentic commerce solutions tailored for manufacturers, wholesalers, and large holding groups managing complex digital distribution networks. He has an MBA from Frankfurt University.

Frank was appointed to the Board in September 2026.