Former Finastra executive joins Unit4 as new CEO

Former Finastra executive Simon Paris is transitioning to a new role as the chief executive officer of Unit4, a Netherlands-based cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider, starting Feb. 3.

Paris will succeed Mike Ettling, who was CEO of Unit4 from April 2019 through the end of January 2025. This announcement came shortly after Paris was himself succeeded at Finastra by Chris Walters on Monday.

"Over the past few years, we have transformed the company from good to great, establishing it as a global leader in SaaS ERP for service industries," Ettling said in a press release. "Simon has all the qualities needed to build on this foundation and lead us toward our ambitious goal of $1 billion in revenue."

Unit4 has 72 customers in the financial services industry, according to Thompson Data, including global investment firm Russell Investments.

Paris is coming into Unit4 with more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry, serving most recently as the CEO of London-based core banking software provider Finastra for six years. Under Paris' stewardship, Finastra launched various open banking initiatives and entered the U.S. community bank space in 2019. Finastra then ventured into the crypto space through a partnership with the U.S.-based digital asset marketplace Bakkt in late 2021. The company also experienced a data breach in November 2024.

During a transition period in the month of January, according to Unit4, Ettling and the company's board will be working on a "seamless handover" to Paris to maintain "sustained momentum."

"I am honored to step into the role of CEO at Unit4, a company with a remarkable legacy and an exciting future," Paris said in the press release. "Unit4 has established itself as a leader in people-centric ERP, and I am inspired by the innovation, passion and dedication of its people."