Chief Executive Officer - Software Answers

Banyan Software provides the best permanent home for successful enterprise software companies, their employees, and customers. We are on a mission to acquire, build and grow great enterprise software businesses all over the world that have dominant positions in niche vertical markets. In recent years, Banyan was named the #1 fastest-growing private software company in the US on the Inc. 5000 and amongst the top 10 fastest-growing companies by the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. Founded in 2016 with a permanent capital base setup to preserve the legacy of founders, Banyan focuses on a buy and hold for life strategy for growing software companies that serve specialized vertical markets.

Software Answers 

Software Answers Inc is the leading provider of technology solutions to the corporate housing, serviced apartment and apart-hotel industries worldwide. In 1995, after looking everywhere for a software program that would help run his corporate housing business, Stuart Kirban figured, if you can’t find it, you might as well build it. He, along with Michael Kirban, partnered with a developer to design a system that would help them run their business. They decided to call the program Oscar.

Cut to over twenty years later, hundreds of companies in ten countries rely on Oscar to run every aspect of their corporate housing, serviced apartment, apart-hotel, and residential apartment management businesses.

The Software Answers Team is a diverse group of people who bring together a wide array of experience and talent to make the most comprehensive property management system available. The primary goal of the team is to tailor its software products to meet the realities of the ever-changing marketplace by maintaining a constant feedback loop between the members of the team who have actually been in the trenches, our clients, and our developers.

The Position

The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for providing operational and strategic leadership Software Answers, with a particular focus on driving Go-To-Market (GTM) execution.  Working with Banyan Software’s Operating Partner and the Portfolio team, the CEO will establish the strategies, plans and policies to meet the Software Answers recurring revenue growth and profitability goals.  The ideal candidate will bring a high level of enthusiasm, intellectual acuity, resilience, and a results-driven approach. They should excel in customer interactions, demonstrate self-assurance, foster a collaborative spirit, and consistently uphold the highest standards of integrity.

Specific Responsibilities

The priorities of the CEO are to:

• Define and communicate a compelling vision and growth strategy for the business and lead overall execution
• Work with Banyan Software to facilitate a seamless transition to becoming a high value portfolio company
• Maintain healthy and predictable growth by establishing and consistently meeting the execution milestones of  the company’s financial and operating plans
• Develop and refine a GTM  strategy and develop the GTM team to drive new growth and maintain high levels of client retention
• Rapidly master and understand the differentiating product capabilities and engage with current and prospective customers
• Establish and further enhance relationships within the existing client base with a focus on retention, client satisfaction, and incremental value creations
• Directly engage prospective customers and distribution partners; this is a “lead from the front” leadership profile
• Develop and execute operational initiatives to continually  improve profitability.
• Be a visible presence in the market and generate positive exposure for the business as a thought leader in the industry among customers, partners, influencers, and stakeholders.
• Bring outstanding leadership to the organization.  Build, retain, and mentor a world-class team consisting of diverse and complementary skill sets and experience.
• Extend a winning culture at Software Answers where the team is engaged, challenged to succeed, and rewarded appropriately

Qualifications & Experience

• Past senior leadership experience in a successful B2B software business; preference of industry experience is given to corporate housing experience or hotel leadership 
• Verifiable track record of value creation
• P&L experience, with strong financial literacy and business acumen
• Government Housing experience preferred
• Demonstrated effectiveness in GTM planning and execution
• Familiarity with software product management
• Ability and interest to be a thought-leader in technology solutions for community banks  
• Passion for delighting customers and engaging teams

Leadership & Management Behavioral Competencies

• Ability to establish a roadmap for future growth, steering the business towards the highest potential market segments where the company can sustain an advantage and ensure continued profitable expansion
• Interest and ability to lead by example in revenue-generating GTM activity 
• Ability to bring discipline, focus and accountability around key performance indicators across the team
• Ability to build collaboration and engagement across the business.
• Ability to lead the design, execution, and change management to support new business processes
• Tireless curiosity and advice-seeking
• Strong analytical skills
• Frugal mindset with a focus on building organizational capabilities through strong team development
• Ability to work well with multiple stakeholders, including Banyan leadership and the ASI founder who will remain in a part-time advisory role in 2024
• Talent magnet - successful record of attracting and retaining talented, engaged teams
• Entrepreneurial with a high level of energy and an unrelenting drive to succeed
• Must be collaborative, yet decisive and action oriented
• Impeccable integrity and high ethical standards

Education

• An undergraduate degree from a well-regarded university is required

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity at Banyan: Banyan affirms that inequality is detrimental to our Global Teams, associates, our Operating Companies, and the communities we serve. As a collective, our goal is to impact lasting change through our actions. Together, we unite for equality and equity. Banyan is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristic, including race, color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, lawful alien status, ancestry, age, marital status, or protected veteran status and will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of a disability. We support an inclusive workplace where associates excel based on personal merit, qualifications, experience, ability, and job performance.