Case Study: Building a Global
GTM Engine for Basware
Client: Basware
Sector: Enterprise SaaS
Regions: EMEA, US, APAC
After being acquired by Accel-KKR in 2022, Basware shifted from a product led GTM approach into mid-market, to an enterprise, business led approach - all choreographed by the same leadership team that built the GTM strategy at Coupa and Ariba. To execute on that vision, they needed a trusted hiring partner with a proven global track record, to upskill the entire Sales and presales team. This transformation was successfully delivered by Andy and his recruitment team at his previous role, working closely with the Coupa/Ariba leadership to identify and place tier-1 enterprise talent across all regions.
Basware's GTM motion had to evolve fast - moving from transactional sales to complex enterprise deals. They needed to hire tier 1 AEs, RVPs, and pre-sales leaders across five regions, under tight timelines and with limited brand visibility in enterprise circles.
Shift from simple sales to complex enterprise deals
Tier 1 talent needed across US, UK, DACH, Nordics, APAC
Low recognition in enterprise circles despite strong product
Rapid transformation required under acquisition pressure
Enterprise-focused sales professionals
Regional sales leadership across five markets
Technical sales specialists for complex demos
Five regions: US, UK, DACH, Nordics, APAC
The transformation was led by the same leadership team that built successful GTM strategies at Coupa and Ariba, bringing battle-tested enterprise experience to Basware's evolution.
A comprehensive global hiring strategy to build world-class enterprise sales teams across five regions, repositioning Basware's brand to attract top-tier talent.
Ran comprehensive executive searches across five key regions to build enterprise-ready sales teams.
Repositioned Basware's story to attract high-calibre talent from enterprise backgrounds.
Delivered fully qualified candidate panels in record time to meet aggressive transformation timelines.
Embedded deeply with Basware leadership to ensure speed, precision, and strategic alignment.
To deliver fully qualified candidate panels
In an industry where executive searches typically take 3-6 months, we delivered qualified panels of tier-1 candidates in just 14 days across all five regions.
Perfect execution across all retained searches resulted in a completely transformed global sales organization and record-breaking business performance.
Enterprise-focused sales professionals across all regions
Regional sales leadership for US, UK, DACH, Nordics, APAC
Technical sales specialists for complex enterprise demonstrations
Customer success and account management professionals
Still retained globally as Basware's GTM hiring partner today
Helped rebuild revenue engine that broke every company record
Complete evolution from transactional to enterprise sales model
Successfully replicated Coupa-scale success across all regions
This partnership was built on trust and execution, grounded in the same embedded model that helped scale Coupa globally.
Andy and his team didn't just fill roles, they helped rebuild a revenue engine that led to Basware tripling their Avg ACV and breaking every record they ever had.
"Strong Search has already become an exceptional partner for us at Basware. Their combination of deep SaaS expertise, smart technology, and real-time insight gives us total visibility and confidence throughout the hiring process. They deliver quickly and accurately, but not at the expense of quality or care.
What really stands out is their human-first approach – not just with candidates, but across every stakeholder they engage with internally. From Sales and Presales to Talent and Leadership, everyone enjoys working with them. That's rare in recruitment. Strong Search have played a key role in helping us rebuild our global GTM function, and I'd recommend them to any SaaS business looking to scale with clarity and confidence."
+44 203 996078
info@strongsearch.co.uk
As Coupa expanded its presence across Europe, the company faced a critical challenge: sourcing top-tier sales and GTM talent to fuel its regional growth.
With a target to urgently hire 15 AEs across specific regions and a narrow brief, Tekion turned to Andy and his team based on a long-standing, trusted relationship built over years scaling global GTM teams together.
Hiring at scale is never easy - but in Icertis' case, they needed top-tier GTM talent with deep enterprise experience, regional nuance, and the ability to thrive in a complex, high-growth environment.