Derek Kudsee to lead Unit4 Financials by Coda in AI era

Unit4 has appointed Derek Kudsee as Managing Director of Unit4 Financials by Coda, with a remit to oversee the strategic direction of the business in support of enterprise customers' transformation of the Office of the CFO amid the rise of Agentic AI.

As Managing Director, Kudsee will report to Johan Reventberg, Chief Revenue Officer at Unit4, and will be responsible for leading Unit4 Financials by Coda through what the company describes as a period of significant change driven by advances in artificial intelligence and automation.

Experienced leadership

Kudsee brings with him more than 25 years of experience in the software-as-a-service (SaaS), enterprise software, and digital transformation sectors. He has previously held roles in strategy, growth leadership, and operations at companies including SAP, Salesforce, and Microsoft, where he led large cross-functional teams through complex business initiatives.

Kudsee will be charged with setting the future course of Unit4 Financials by Coda, taking responsibility for its product roadmap, market opportunities and engagement with enterprise customers. His role is seen as particularly important as financial management systems evolve to meet customer needs for increased agility and real-time decision support.

AI, automation, and the user experience are viewed as key focal points in the evolving roadmap. Kudsee is also expected to bolster the company's partnership strategy, with a view to delivering greater value to enterprise customers.

"We are thrilled to have Derek join the team as our new Managing Director, Unit4 Financials by Coda, because we are committed to helping our Coda customers improve business performance and productivity as the finance function goes through significant change," said Johan Reventberg, CRO, Unit4. "With his extensive track record of delivering results in entrepreneurial and multi-national environments, Derek's leadership will be key in accelerating our Unit4 Financials by Coda product roadmap, driving investment in our engineering team and supporting our enterprise customers which include leading global brands like HDI, Howden Labuan Re, Portman Travel, SuperDry and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean AS."

Focus on customer outcomes

Unit4 Financials by Coda is positioned as a trusted financial management application for CFOs, and according to the company is increasingly called upon to provide the agility and analytical insights that finance teams require as automation becomes more prevalent.

Kudsee outlined his priorities upon taking up the role, highlighting the company's long-standing customer base and its intentions for future development.

"Unit4 Financials by Coda has long been integral to our enterprise customers and we have an exciting opportunity to help them reimagine the finance function with the latest innovations in AI, automation and analytics," said Derek Kudsee, Managing Director, Unit4 Financials by Coda. "I have been given a clear mandate and resources to reimagine the way our products and services enable world class finance functions into the future. Unit4 has more than 45 years' experience in financial management and is committed to applying that expertise to helping our loyal enterprise customer base innovate in core financial accounting, procurement, billing and asset management processes."

Kudsee's appointment underlines Unit4's intention to invest further in both product and engineering, as well as to expand the capabilities offered to a list of enterprise customers that includes brands such as HDI, Howden Labuan Re, Portman Travel, SuperDry, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean AS.

Unit4 Financials by Coda customer base

The company's financial management solution serves customers across a range of sectors, providing tools for financial accounting, procurement, billing, and asset management. According to Unit4, its technology is intended to enable finance teams to better analyse data and develop new capabilities via AI and automation.

Unit4 states that Coda has been a core application for CFOs worldwide and remains focused on enabling digital transformation within finance functions by strengthening analysis, reporting, and process automation as the industry adopts new technology.

The business supports more than 4,700 customers globally across various industries, including public sector, professional services, and nonprofit organisations.