Host: Kath Easthope, Co-Founder & CEO, Boardwave

Speakers:
Elona Mortimer-Zhika: NED, Boardwave | Serial PE Chair & NED | Former CEO, IRIS Software Group
David Lockie: CEO, Elevare Software Group | Former COO, IRIS Software Group

Event Partner: Livingbridge

Scaling is one of the most defining challenges for a software leadership team. For many high-growth companies, rapid organic expansion and M&A go hand in hand, acting as powerful levers for accelerating scale, capability and long-term value creation.

Join us for an exclusive evening designed specifically for founders and CEOs with an ARR of £1-25m who are navigating growth, scale and strategic expansion.

Drawing on their shared experience at IRIS Software Group, Elona Mortimer-Zhika and David Lockie will reflect on transforming IRIS into a global cloud software business. Together, they led expansion across the US, Europe and APAC, completed 30+ acquisitions, and navigated major investments from Hg, Leonard Green Capital Partners and ICG, while building a strong global leadership culture.

They will also share insights from their current journey building Elevare Software Group, a new buy-and-build platform backed by Livingbridge. With Elona as Chair and David as CEO, Elevare partners with software businesses to build vertical category leaders, combining long-term capital with deep operational expertise. The model creates real optionality for founders, whether accelerating scale, securing the future of the business or enabling an earlier exit within a larger group.

In conversation, they will explore:

• Buy-and-build as a growth engine
• From acquisition to execution: integration at pace
• GTM and AI in rapid growth
• Lessons from real-world experience
• Optionality and exit pathways for founders

This is a rare opportunity to gain candid insight from leaders who have scaled globally through international expansion and M&A, and who are now building the next generation of software groups.

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