Three Questions with… UNIT4 Business Software’s CEO

As we continue to integrate the UNIT4 Business Software and UNIT4 CODA businesses, I want to introduce you to some of the executive team members that you ‘ll be hearing more from in the future on this blog. The first is Shelley Zapp, CEO.

Background: Shelley joined Agresso in 1999 as director of software development and in 2004 became President of the company. She has brought a unique perspective to her leadership style, combining her software development background with her strong business and financial background.

Shelley oversees the operations and growth strategy for UNIT4 Business Software. She has successfully managed numerous projects in a variety of industries including financial, health, payroll, human resources, utility billing and agriculture in both the private and public sectors. She holds the title of Executive of the Year from the Victoria Advanced Technology Council (VIATEC). Recognized as distinguished alumni from her alma mater Camosun College, Shelley has also further developed her skills through continuing her education at the Royal Roads University and the University of Victoria.

Q: What ‘s the professional experience you ‘re proudest of?

A: There are two things:

1. Our consistent double-digit revenue growth. Over each of the last eight years, we achieved double-digit growth, and that includes during the downturn. Over that time, the company has grown six times our original size.
2. That we have a happy staff. We keep making this a better place to work. In the last two years, we won the employer of the year award from Victoria Chamber of Commerce and from ViaTec. I ‘m happy that this is a place that employees like to work. As a combined North American entity, there will be expanded potential for career progression, including new opportunities to learn and expand in new directions. These are opportunities that exist only when a company continues to grow.
   

Q: How will the company ‘s integration benefit customers?

A: Growth benefits customers in at least three ways:

1. The larger we become, the more critical mass and resources we have for our customers to draw on.
2. As our implementation team continues to grow, we can offer more breadth of experience and greater bandwidth to our service projects.
3. A combined North American customer base provides a broader community for users to draw from in terms of experience and ideas – our respective user groups have always been well-attended, and now they will be even more dynamic.

Q: What are two things people might want to know about you?

A: I enjoy playing softball and floor hockey, and I tend to be the same person both on the field and in the boardroom – what you see is what you get.

I was fascinated by the book Patriot Hearts: Inside the Olympics That Changed a Country by John Furling – he oversaw the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The book covered not only the business-end of running a world-class event, but also exposed the political and emotional side of this undertaking as well.