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Fresh CEOs arrive at mhance and Point74
Channel players look to a change of senior leadership in a bid to drive growth this year
Microsoft solutions provider mhance is looking to Chris Allan to make an impact as its CEO as the firm sets out ambitions to lean on its private equity backing and grow the business.
The channel player was picked up by SilverTree Equity last year with plans to expand its position in the market, with the CEO appointment part of that process.
Allan comes with strong experience in both the channel and working with private equity, with spells at Livingstone Group and SmartFocus. His brief is a straightforward one, with a mandate to grow the business and use the financial platform provided by SilverTree to improve its position in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Over the past 15-and-a-half years, mhance has built up a customer base across the UK and Ireland of more than 500, establishing relationships with household names such as WWF, Médecins Sans Frontières, RSPB, Sir Robert McAlpine and BAM Construct. The company won the 2023 Microsoft Nonprofit Partner of the Year and is one of only two EMEA Dynamics 365 Business Central partners for the charity sector.
“What attracted me to mhance was the strength of the foundations already in place, loyal customers, experienced teams and a reputation for integrity,” said Allan. “With SilverTree’s backing, we have a strong opportunity to further invest in areas such as Power Platform, data and AI, and broader horizontal cloud capabilities. This will allow us to enhance our leadership position in the not-for-profit sector, increase the value we deliver to customers and accelerate growth across additional verticals,” he said.
“Our customers are moving beyond standalone ERP and CRM implementations toward integrated cloud-native and AI-enabled platforms. Our priority is to ensure that Microsoft technology not only delivers modern, end-to-end solutions but also drives meaningful operational and commercial impact for our clients throughout their lifecycle” he added.
Julian Stone, chairman of mhance, said the decision to bring in a fresh CEO was part of the ambition to become closer to Microsoft: [Allan] brings a deep understanding of the Microsoft ecosystem and the leadership discipline required to scale a high-performing managed services and solutions business. We are confident that under his leadership, mhance will strengthen its market position and continue to deliver increasing value for customers and shareholders alike.”
Elsewhere in the channel, food and drink sector specialist Point74 has deemed the time is right to unveil a fresh CEO.
After a spell leading Altia, Rob Sinclair has stepped into the hot seat, tasked with helping the firm – which provides a food lifecycle management platform – with building on that established market position.
He has joined the business after a year that saw the firm, with its private equity backer FPE Capital, deliver a solid 2025. The plan for the next 12 months is to keep pushing the platform and work with more customers that are navigating through a highly regulated environment.
“The business has built a market-leading platform that genuinely supports the people behind the products, helping food teams to navigate increasing complexity across development, compliance and sustainability. I’m looking forward to working with the team to build on this strong foundation and scale the business,” said Sinclair.
