Minneapolis-based software development company Perforce Software announced Tuesday Jim Cassens will be appointed CEO after Mark Ties retires.
Ties, who has been CEO since 2018, will serve as the board's executive chair after his retirement. The leadership transition is expected to come into effect Jan. 1.
Cassen’s designation comes after Ties grew the company from a $50 million, single product company with 200 employees, to a multi-product, DevOps technology solution provider with over 1,500 employees. With over 18,000 customers worldwide, the company boasts a client list that includes over 75% of the Fortune 100. The company is backed by Francisco Partners and Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., both billion-dollar global venture capital firms that specialize in technology investment.
Ties said a statement that he believes he and Cassen share similar core values and a commitment for long-term growth.
"Jim's record and growth-focused leadership style made him a great fit to partner with the team at Perforce, and I believe he's the right person to take Perforce to the next level,” Ties said.
Cassens brings a 30-year career in scaling software organizations both organically and through acquisitions. Prior to joining Perforce, he was the president of Minneapolis-based Fortra, a cybersecurity and automation software provider with over 2,800 employees and over 35,000 customers. At Fortra, he also held the roles of EVP of mergers and acquisitions and managing director of the company's international presence. Prior to Fortra, Cassens was the director of information technology at the appliance company Electrolux. Cassens earned his MBA from the University of St. Thomas' Opus College of Business.
"[Cassen’s] experience in scaling a high growth organic and acquisition-oriented business in a dynamic market will be a benefit to the company as it continues to execute on its growth strategy," said Evan Daar, a partner at Francisco Partners, in a statement.
Cassen is aiming to build upon the track record that Ties created, according to his statement.
"Perforce's position today in the DevOps market, the culture and caliber of its team, and the depth of its customer relationships, give me confidence that the Company will continue to execute its long-term growth strategy,” Cassen continued. “I am committed to furthering our mission to our customers while continuing to foster the core values that make Perforce such a great place to work for our global team."
