Navision Co-Founder Jesper Balser to join Openbravo Board of Directors (02/02/2009)
As open source ERP becomes mainstream, market leader adds industry visionary to
Board
Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, Massachusetts – February 2nd, 2009 –
Openbravo, the leading developer of web-based open source Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) solutions for businesses, has announced Jesper Balser, Co-Founder
and former CEO of Navision, to join its Board of Directors.
Mr. Balser has played a key role in shaping the global ERP market for small and
midsized businesses. He has been actively involved in Openbravo’s business for the
last six months and in his new role on the Board he will continue to provide guidance
on strategic as well as operational issues.
In 1985, Mr. Balser co-founded Navision and served as the company’s CEO for 18
years. During that time, Navision grew to become a leading worldwide ERP software
provider for small and midsized businesses. Mr. Balser took Navision public in 1999
and continued to lead the company until it was acquired by Microsoft in 2002. After
the acquisition Mr. Balser served as Head of Global Strategy at Microsoft Business
Solutions, a position he left 18 months later to pursue other interests as an investor
and entrepreneur.
Jesper Balser said, “The open source space is maturing and Openbravo is in the
perfect position to challenge the established ERP players in the SMB market. I am
impressed by the very high quality of the people at Openbravo and the drive to win,
which reminds me of my time at Navision.”
Manel Sarasa, CEO of Openbravo, said, “Working closely with Jesper is an important
step for us in building Openbravo’s position as a leader in the ERP market. We have
much to gain from his expertise, drive and insight, including his impressive track
record in developing and executing the channel strategy for Navision.”
About Openbravo
Openbravo is an award-winning developer of professional open source solutions for
businesses, offering the industry's first real alternative to proprietary software. The company’s
web-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Point of Sale (PoS) solutions, the most
popular in their market, have been downloaded more than a million times and are used in over
50 countries.
Openbravo's growth is fueled by an ever expanding international community of users,
partners and developers. The company's commercial open source business model eliminates
software license fees, providing support, services, and product enhancements via an annual
subscription.
Openbravo is venture backed and has received record funding in the Open Source ERP space
from Amadeus Capital Partners, GIMV, Adara Venture Partners and Sodena.
To find out more about Openbravo, please visit: www.openbravo.com
For further information or to schedule a briefing, please contact:Hazel Butters or James GerberPrompt Communications on behalf of Openbravoopenbravo@prompt-communications.comUS: +1 617 576 5763 / +1 617 291 9899UK: +44 (0) 20 8996 1653 / +44 (0) 7780 687813
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