Former Autotask CEO Mark Cattini has joined ClickSoftware as CEO, the field service management software company has confirmed.
Cattini has a track record for growing specialized software companies that are later acquired into larger firms. Most recently, he led Autotask Corp. -- an MSP-centric business automation and management software company that essentially merged into Datto in late 2017. Earlier, he was CEO of MapInfo, which Pitney Bowes acquired in 2007.
During his years at Autotask (roughly December 2010 through November 2017), Cattini successfully pivoted the company away from head-on user group and community-oriented competition with ConnectWise, and instead localized Autotask's software for use worldwide. He also successfully extended the platform beyond a Microsoft-centric architecture to ensure Autotask had a true cloud/browser experience for partners and customers. He shed an underperforming business (VARStreet), successfully acquired and integrated an RMM business (CentraStage), and also tucked a file sync and sharing company into the business.
If I had to guess, I think Cattini grew Autotask to roughly 4X revenues from 2010 through 2017. But again, that's just a guesstimate.
ClickSoftware History, Leadership, Ownership
Cattini joins ClickSoftware at an intriguing time. More than 350 enterprises across 20 industries leverage ClickSoftware's field service management tools, the company says. True believers include Salesforce, SAP -- and systems integrators. SAP, for one, resells ClickSoftware's offerings as under this brand: SAP Scheduling and Resource Management application by ClickSoftware.
Francisco Partners acquired ClickSoftware for $438 million and took the company private in April 2015. At the time, Moshe BenBassat was CEO of ClickSoftware. That title at some point transitioned to Tom Heiser, who led the company from October 2015 to September 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Mutual Praise
Matt Spetzler
Now, Cattini is calling the shots -- and Francisco Partners seems pleased by the move. In a prepared statement, Francisco Partners' Mark Spetzler said:
"With more than three decades of experience, Mark has made a career out of leading and accelerating software businesses and we are very fortunate to be adding him to ClickSoftware's leadership team. Today, almost every sizable organization is facing a field service and workforce management transformation due to changing customer expectations. I believe Mark has the experience and industry knowledge needed to increase confidence, trust and adoption of ClickSoftware's solutions."
Added Cattini:
"There's never been a better time to be at the center of the industry helping service organizations take advantage of the next great wave of cloud-based intelligent automation. I'm confident that my previous experience leading other successful companies will allow me to foster this unique opportunity. I could not be more excited and fortunate to join ClickSoftware and to have the opportunity to join the field service market leader."
We've reached out to Cattini for more details about his strategy for ClickSoftware and field service management. We suspect his international focus will come in handy in his new post...
