Openbravo appoints former Microsoft executive Cees Poortman as VP of Global Commercial Operations

– ERP expert and seasoned executive joins open source leader Openbravo to develop and grow worldwide sales channels –

Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, MA (January 28, 2009) – Openbravo, the leading developer of web-based open source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Point of Sale (POS) solutions for businesses, has recruited Cees Poortman as VP of Global Commercial Operations.

With an illustrious career that has been devoted to the ERP space, Poortman has 20 years of international experience in defining go-to-market strategies, setting up subsidiaries and building channels for international software vendors. Prior to joining Openbravo, Cees was Managing Director of Navision Netherlands, Director for Microsoft Business Solutions and most recently responsible for the launch of Microsoft Dynamics Entrepreneur. He also held executive positions in a series of successful entrepreneurial ventures.

Manel Sarasa, CEO of Openbravo, said: “Cees’ addition to Openbravo’s management team will help the company as we expand internationally. His experience is ideal as we continue to build a global ecosystem around our products. Combined with the motivation, dedication and success that he has shown throughout his career, he will be a key addition to Openbravo as we continue to build our worldwide network of partners.”

In his new role as the VP of Global Commercial Operations, Poortman will be responsible for the global partner ecosystem and the international subsidiaries. Cees will be defining the company’s global channel strategy, attracting and developing the very best partner network as well as defining key growth initiatives in developed and emerging markets.

Cees Poortman, Openbravo’s newly appointed VP of Global Commercial Operations, said: “Openbravo is a fast-moving company that is rapidly disrupting proprietary incumbents in the ERP space. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I look forward to using my experience in building global partner networks to help further the company’s growth. I have worked with a number of organizations that create ERP software and Openbravo truly leads as an innovative and community-focused company.”

Source: OpenBravo

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