Raphael Erb becomes sole CEO of SoftwareOne

With the appointment of Raphael Erb as sole CEO, SoftwareOne is ending the co-CEO model that has been in place since the acquisition of Crayon. According to a statement, this model had been introduced to ensure continuity in leadership through the integration of the two companies.

Erb has served as co-CEO since July 2025, overseeing commercial operations in the regions, services business and marketplace. Before the acquisition of Crayon, he had already served as CEO of SoftwareOne since November 2024, having joined the company in 1999.

Melissa Mulholland, who was CEO of Crayon until the acquisition, was responsible as co-CEO for strategy development, customer platforms and global functions, among other areas. Now that the integration is substantially complete, she has decided to leave the company.

“The Co-CEO model was designed to ensure continuity through the integration of SoftwareOne and Crayon. With that mandate nearing completion, a sole CEO structure is the right next step to sustain focus and accelerate execution,” said Chairman of the Board of Directors Till Spillmann.

SoftwareOne highlights the company’s continued positive business performance as another reason for the leadership change. Since the first-quarter 2026 trading update, the company has made further good progress and continues to see strong business momentum. The strategy and 2030 financial ambitions remain unchanged.

Erb thanked his former co-CEO for their collaboration and looked optimistically toward the future: “I want to thank Melissa for her partnership and for everything she contributed to bringing our two companies together. I am honored by the trust placed in me and excited to lead SoftwareOne into its next stage of growth, together with our 2 talented teams around the world.” ce/ja