Tech platform Bonterra has its third chief executive this year with today’s announcement that Scott Brighton will take over the leadership role. It comes a dozen days after Bonterra acquired software firm WeSpire.
Bonterra’s foundation is made of CyberGrants, EveryAction, Network for Good, and Social Solutions, all of which are in the slow process of being rebranded as Bonterra. Mark Layden, Bonterra’s outgoing chief executive, had been CEO at CyberGrants. He replaced Erin Mulligan Nelson as Bonterra CEO. She had been chief executive at Social Solutions. Stu Trevelyan, who headed EveryAction left the firm when EveryAction was acquired in 2021. Bill Strathmann, who was CEO at Network For Good, left earlier this year.
Layden will remain with Bonterra in a board position, according to an announcement from the firm. Insiders told The NonProfit Times the plan for Layden had always been interim, but Bonterra didn’t use the caveat in recent announcements.
Bonterra is funded by Apax Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in London, with operations in New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Munich and Shanghai.
Brighton most recently was CEO of Aurea Software in Austin, Texas. Aurea is a global software company with more than 1,000 employees and a portfolio of more than 40 software as a service (SAAS) solutions. The firm is backed by ESW Capital and its affiliated companies.
Prior to Aurea Software, Brighton was CEO at Artemis International, also based in Austin. It is a global project and portfolio management software company with more than 1,000 customers and offices in Europe, Asia, and North America. He also founded a local and hyperlocal online news source for the Austin, Texas area.
“Our opportunity, and my focus, is to harmonize our technology and create an integrated solution that will make driving impact both easier and more measurable,” said Brighton via a statement. It continued: “Software shouldn’t be about technology; it should be about solving problems. Today, the social good and ‘nonprofit’ space lags behind the ‘for profit’ space. By putting our customers at the center of everything we do, we’re going to change that.”
Brighton and Layden have partnered on a transition plan focused on employee and customer engagement through June when Layden will continue in his role as board member, according to the announcement from Bonterra.
The firm is described in the release by Bonterra as “the second-largest and fastest-growing social good software company in the world.” Bonterra’s solutions collectively are used by 20,000 customers, including more than 16,000 nonprofits and more than 50% of Fortune 100 companies, according to data in the announcement.
