Bonterra announces leadership transition

Earlier this week, Erin Mulligan Nelson shared the news with the Bonterra team that she will be transitioning out of her role as Bonterra’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Mark Layden, our Chief Strategy Officer and a member of the company’s Board of Directors, has been appointed interim CEO. Mulligan Nelson and Layden have worked side by side since the inception of Bonterra and they will partner to transition through the end of the year.

“Bonterra has a bold and important vision of transforming the world of social good by bringing the power of technology and data to all constituents in the giving-to-impact chain. As we have recently passed our one-year anniversary, we naturally reflected on our successes and thought about what is important for our next phase of growth,” said Mulligan Nelson. “We have achieved a great deal through the merger of four companies and the creation of a strong strategic, cultural, and operational foundation over the past year. Upon that foundation, it’s a good time for us to transition to a new leader to take Bonterra forward. My friend and colleague Mark is an exceptional leader with more than eight years of experience with Bonterra and one of its legacy companies, and he is extremely well suited to guide the company."

“Over the past year, Bonterra has formed a strong executive team, firmly established a new brand, and driven double-digit growth,” said Jason Wright, Partner at Apax and a member of the company’s Board of Directors. “The company is well positioned for continued growth and innovation, and we are thankful for Erin’s role during this critical period as she stepped up from her position as CEO of Social Solutions to lead Bonterra during significant transformational change. Mark is a proven leader with a deep understanding of Bonterra’s platform and the wider social good landscape, having played a central role in helping us shape Bonterra following almost seven successful years as CEO of CyberGrants. We are pleased that he is assuming the role of interim CEO,” added Wright.

Prior to his role as Bonterra’s Chief Strategy Officer, Layden served for nearly seven years as CEO of CyberGrants, a leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for corporate social responsibility (CSR), employee engagement, and volunteer management, and one of the three initial technology companies that came together in September 2021 to form Bonterra. He has more than 30 years of leadership experience within the application software industry, including both start-up companies as well as large global enterprises such as SAP AG and FICO. Before CyberGrants, Layden was Chief Operating Officer of Applied Systems, Inc. During his tenure, the company became the largest provider of insurance agency management software in North America, with more than 1,100 employees serving over 14,000 clients.

“Having helped to build Bonterra and define its strategy over the past year, following more than six years as CEO of CyberGrants, I am honored to lead this great team as we support social good organizations with software solutions that make their work easier, more efficient, and more effective, ”said Layden. “I am thankful for Erin’s leadership in taking Bonterra to this point and I could not be more excited about Bonterra’s role in enabling connectivity between social good organizations and their community of supporters and constituents,” shared Layden.