Acertitude Finds Chief Revenue Officer for PE-Backed Technology Platform

December 4, 2018 – The role of chief revenue officer has changed dramatically over the last several years. CROs are quickly becoming mission-critical innovators for companies that look to dominate a market first and fastest, according to recruiters. The demand for these financial leaders is growing and executive search firms have been busy filling these roles.

Executive search firm Acertitude recently recruited Shaun Bossons as chief revenue officer for Bamboo Rose, the multi-enterprise platform connecting the retail community. The search was led by managing director Nate DaPore and partner Vicki Devlin, who recruited Mr. Bossons in only 74 days.

“We’re building a team of the best and brightest to take on the toughest challenges facing the retail industry,” said Sue Welch, CEO of Bamboo Rose. “Acertitude found us an all-star in record time. Shaun is a great leader with a strong track-record of designing go-to-market strategies and delivering on them successfully by building and motivating teams.”

Mr. Bossons joins Bamboo Rose from his prior role as chief revenue officer for Trace One, a collaborative retail business network for private label management. In that role, he focused on global business development, strategic account planning, and key sales messaging and delivery. Mr. Bossons previously held executive-level sales roles at several other retail-focused software companies.

“The digital retail space is in a state of disruption,” said Mr. DaPore. “Shaun is a top leader with a strong commercial background, capable of capitalizing on the opportunities linked to this transformative age. We look forward to seeing him make an impact as a member of the leadership team and are proud to support the Bamboo Rose journey.”

Mr. Bossons joins Bamboo Rose as the company is expanding its global footprint and product and services portfolio to meet increasing demand for retail innovation. In 2018 alone, Bamboo Rose increased revenue by 56 percent and its workforce by more than 20 percent. As chief revenue officer, Mr. Bossons will continue to drive strategic growth across North America, EMEA and Asia, reporting directly to Ms. Welch.

Bamboo Rose provides a product innovation and multi-enterprise supply-chain platform that connects the retail community to “discover, develop and deliver” products at digital speed. It connects retailers, suppliers and all community members to optimize the product and supply-chain process, reduce risk and add new and innovative products.

Veteran Search Consultants

Founded in 2015, Acertitude’s purpose is to unleash human potential by placing brilliant people at work. The firm specializes in recruiting CEO, C-suite and executive talent in the consumer, financial, healthcare and life sciences, industrial, private equity, professional services and technology sectors. Its consultants work from offices in Boston, London, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Providence, Raleigh, Shanghai, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.

Mr. DaPore leads executive searches for boards of directors, CEOs, C-suite leaders and their direct reports in the technology, healthcare and private equity markets. He has over 20 years of experience as a private equity investor and operating partner, a software expert and entrepreneur, having founded two successful start-ups. He previously spent seven years as founder and CEO of PeopleMatter, a venture-backed workforce management SaaS company.

Ms. Devlin’s recruiting practice focuses on the private equity, technology, telecommunications and non-profit sectors. She builds relationships, working closely with companies on a growth trajectory, mid-sized private equity portfolio companies and top players in the Fortune 500. Ms. Devlin provides expertise recruiting C-suite and executive talent across sales, marketing, finance, operations and information technology. She also has the acumen to recruit for more granular competencies such as e-commerce, SaaS, fiber infrastructure, fintech, mobility, supply chain, cybersecurity and data analytics.

Recruiting Chief Revenue Officers

Top-drawer CROs are commonly found at start-ups and smaller businesses, and tend to the bottom line while the rest of the C-level team expand key partnerships, look for growth opportunities or source funding. That is changing, however, as larger businesses now view the CRO post as an essential, long-term role.

Hunt Scanlon Media has reported on a number of search firms finding chief revenue officers for their clients. Here’s a look at searches either underway or recently completed:

Howard Fischer Associates recruited former ManpowerGroup executive Jim McCoy as chief revenue officer for Scout Exchange, a Boston-based platform for marketplace recruiting. Mr. McCoy brings over 15 years of experience in the talent acquisition industry, most recently as vice president and global practice leader of recruitment process outsourcing for ManpowerGroup.

Buffkin / Baker recently placed former ShoreTel executive David Petts as CRO at New York-based technology company Shutterstock. Mr. Petts has a record of revenue growth and profit improvements. Mr. Petts was senior vice president of worldwide sales and customer success at ShoreTel.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media