Meet our leadership team
Learn more about the highly experienced team that guides our vision, shapes our strategy, and inspires our people to enable us to deliver innovative and comprehensive business solutions for the distributive trades.
Our expert team that leads the business worldwide
The members of our leadership team provide a depth of industry experience and business management skills that are fundamental to the success of our business and those of our customers.
Ian Bendelow
Chief Executive Officer
Ian has 30 years of experience in IT and enterprise resource planning solutions and over 25 years working with the company's portfolio of solutions, services and clients. His career developed from customer-facing roles in support, training and consultancy to executive positions in sales, international business development and other commercial functions. For some 15 years, Ian has been General Manager and CEO of KCS leading Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) strategy for growth.
James Mitchell
Managing Director, UK and Ireland
James has 28 years of experience in IT and software solutions. James’ career developed from technical roles in R&D and product management through to customer-facing roles in support, project management, professional services, consultancy and sales. More recently, James has been Managing Director of a software business with responsibility for Europe and Latin America. James has a BSc (Hons) in Business and Computer Science, an Executive MBA from Cranfield University Business School, and he is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
Mick Forrest
Director, Ireland
Mick holds the position of Director at Kerridge Commercial Systems Ireland, a role he has excelled in due to his experience over 25 years. Throughout his career, Mick has dedicated himself to delivering innovative and effective solutions tailored to customers' unique needs in the Irish automotive aftermarket. His expertise in this specialised field is not just limited to strategic leadership but also extends to deep technical knowledge and an insightful understanding of market trends. This combination of skills has enabled Mick to spearhead numerous successful initiatives, driving growth and efficiency across the KCS Ireland team.
Graham Dobbs
Managing Director, Rental Division
Graham has been involved in the rental industry since 1987, working in equipment rental companies for 13 years before being drawn to IT software solutions and joining the leading rental software provider in 2000. His career developed from project management to operations director, then moving to sales director before becoming the MD for the rental software business. Based in the UK but with responsibility for global rental solutions, Graham has successfully driven global growth in the UK, Netherlands & Europe as well as Australia and the USA. With a passion for all that is rental, Graham sees his role as ensuring we continue to deliver market-leading solutions and services to equipment rental customers to keep them one step ahead.
Chris Owen
Chief Support Officer
Chris Owen joined Kerridge Commercial Systems as Chief Support Officer in July 2018, with over 20 years of experience in tier-one multinational software company support. Before joining KCS, he was responsible for 'Customer Success - Global Delivery' at the world's largest supply chain software company. Chris is based at the KCS HQ in Hungerford but works across our global network of support centres, leading over 400 associates that make up the global support and cloud team. Chris's extensive experience in implementing the latest support techniques and other industry best practices is helping to deliver higher net promoter scores, more comprehensive knowledgebase resources, and faster times to resolution at KCS. Chris is spearheading KCS, joining the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA) as part of our journey towards delivering higher/improved support services. Chris is a chartered IT professional registered with the British Computer Society.
Giuseppe Martini
Managing Director, Africa
Giuseppe (Gus) joined Kerridge Commercial Systems South Africa for the second time in 2017 as Commercial Director. He was part of the original commercial division team in South Africa as a Project Manager in the 90’s and brings over 30 years of experience from various industries. Before his second stint with the company, he served in several senior roles, from operations to procurement & IT director at large multi-branch national building industry merchants. Giuseppe sees his role as continuing to grow KCS in SA and to share industry experience both internally and externally.
Fred Loos
Managing Director, Benelux
Fred's extensive industry and product knowledge has led to numerous successful European integrations. With over 35 years of experience within the software industry, primarily in KCS's distribution division, Fred is a passionate leader deeply committed to expanding KCS's European presence. He always aligns our portfolio with the unique needs of our clients, and his customer-focused vision aims to empower businesses with tailored software solutions that help them foster growth and success. Fred's expertise and dedication are crucial to KCS's ongoing European expansion.
Heather Preu
Chief Executive Officer, North America
With over 20 years of experience in global enterprise software and technology solutions, Heather will take full responsibility for all KCS operations in the USA and Canada, including MAM and KCS (previously known as Dancik and Mincron). Her career developed from customer-facing roles in sales before progressing to executive roles, including VP, SVP and GM roles in sales, go-to-market strategy & enablement, most recently holding global leadership roles at IBM and Infor. Heather is passionate about delivering world-class solutions and support to our customers by leveraging powerful, intuitive software that allows our customers to quickly and competitively meet their business needs.
Anders Paulcén
Chief Executive Officer, Nordics
Anders has over 30 years of experience in building successful applications for the tyre trade in northern Europe. Anders joined KCS in 2023 with the acquisition of Compilator, a company he founded more than 25 years ago and since then has developed into the market leader in the Nordics. Anders sees his role as growing KCS' presence in the Nordics as well as supporting the roll-out of tyre trade solutions in the rest of the KCS Group.
Francois Patrice
Chief Revenue Officer
Francois is responsible for growing the top-line revenue at KCS across geographies while always staying true to our philosophy of seeking to help customers with their businesses first. He ensures that our customer needs are central to what our organisation does day-to-day, from building great products to getting them used at their full potential. Francois has been in customer-centric, commercial, and growth-related roles for over 20 years, and he's passionate about satisfying customers and delivering on expectations.
David Liddle
President of Research & Development
David has been responsible for product management & the development teams within Kerridge Commercial Systems since 2003. Before joining, David held several senior IT positions within the distribution/merchant industry. His balance of experience between being a user and a provider of ERP systems ensures that the continued investment in product development is focussed on customer base needs and requirements.
DJ Jones
Chief Technology and Product Officer
DJ brings his rich experience in ERP, SaaS, FinTech, and AI to revolutionise our technology and product offerings. With an impressive history in leading large-scale product development, particularly in accounting software, professional service automation (PSA) and ERP suites, DJ is directly aligned with the needs of KCS's diverse client base. As Global Vice President of Product at Sage Group PLC and Head of Productivity Products at IRIS Software Group, DJ has spearheaded transformative projects like 'IRIS Elements' and 'Sage for Accountants', demonstrating his ability to drive innovation and growth.
At KCS, DJ is dedicated to driving our technological vision and product strategy, ensuring that our solutions meet and exceed the evolving needs of our global clientele within the distribution, rental and automotive industries. His role is pivotal in developing cutting-edge technology and products that empower businesses to achieve greater efficiency and profitability.
Nigel Bedford
Chief Financial Officer
Nigel is a chartered accountant with 25 years of experience in the Big 4 accountancy firms and as a CFO in the software and IT sector. Nigel has worked alongside Ian since the start of Kerridge Commercial Systems Limited, which was established in 2010 and has particular experience working in private equity-invested businesses and managing those businesses through high growth periods.
Mike Jefferies
Chief Financial Officer
Mike Joined KCS in February 2024 and has over 25 years of experience in finance and leadership roles within Global businesses. Mike has worked in the software and IT sector for the last 15 years, most recently as COO for a division of Cisco and before that as Group CFO of IMImobile PLC. Mike has also worked for Star Trac Inc, a US based manufacturer and distributor of commercial fitness equipment and before that for the Whirlpool Corporation.
Carolyn Adams
Chief People Officer
Carolyn Adams serves as the Chief People Officer at Kerridge Commercial Systems. Carolyn drives the human capital strategy in this role, including culture & engagement, talent acquisition & development and reward. Prior to joining Kerridge Commercial Systems in 2014, she held leadership positions in financial and software organisations. Carolyn holds a Business Management/Accounting degree, is a certified Global and Senior Professional in Human Resources (GPHR & SPHR) and is certified with the University of Oxford Saïd Business School Executive Leadership Programme.
Our passion is to provide customers with a competitive advantage in their incredibly competitive world. We do this by providing flexible, industry-specific solutions; software, technology, advice, guidance, experience and expertise built over 40 years of servicing their specific market. Great software solutions don’t happen without great people. We have the best software solutions for our market because we have the best people.
Ian Bendelow – Chief Executive Officer
About us
To design and deliver high performance, integrated ERP solutions that enable our customers to source effectively, stock efficiently, sell profitably and service competitively.
Policies
Kerridge Commercial Systems prides itself on being an equal opportunity employer and being open and transparent in respect of how we operate and do business.
Services
We deliver a range of specialist consultancy and business services that ensure our customers get the best possible return on their investment in our business management solutions.