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The power of trust: Why 70% of founders stay with Visma

Article

The power of trust: Why 70% of founders stay with Visma

How do you maintain the spirit of an entrepreneur while scaling within a global group? Steffen Torp, Chief Commercial Officer at Visma, explains how a model based on trust and local expertise has become our greatest driver for growth.

Article

The power of trust: Why 70% of founders stay with Visma

How do you maintain the spirit of an entrepreneur while scaling within a global group? Steffen Torp, Chief Commercial Officer at Visma, explains how a model based on trust and local expertise has become our greatest driver for growth.

Business insights, Innovation and development

Article

The power of trust: Why 70% of founders stay with Visma

How do you maintain the spirit of an entrepreneur while scaling within a global group? Steffen Torp, Chief Commercial Officer at Visma, explains how a model based on trust and local expertise has become our greatest driver for growth.

Business insights, Innovation and development

How do you maintain the spirit of an entrepreneur while scaling within a global group? Steffen Torp, Chief Commercial Officer at Visma, explains how a model based on trust and local expertise has become our greatest driver for growth.

In the world of M&A, the post-acquisition phase is often the most difficult. For many software companies, joining a larger group means losing the agility and local identity that made them successful in the first place.

At Visma, we have spent the last 20 years refining a different approach. With 300 acquisitions under our belt, we’ve seen a remarkable trend: 7 out of 10 founders are still leading their companies five years after joining the group.

According to Steffen Torp, CCO at Visma, this retention is the result of a deliberate strategy focused on empowerment rather than centralisation.

Beyond the traditional integration model

"Early on, we experimented with different ways of integrating new companies," Torp explains. "What we learned was that the best results both financially and culturally came when we protected the autonomy of the company and the passion of its founders."

Instead of imposing a rigid, one-size-fits-all corporate playbook, Visma acts as an owner that adds value through support and scale. We provide the extensive resources of a global leader while ensuring that decision-making power remains where it matters most: close to the customers.

"True value is created when you trust the people who built the company to continue driving it forward, supported by the right framework." – Steffen Torp, CCO

Local expertise as a competitive edge

In the software industry, especially within accounting, payroll, and HR, local knowledge is not just an advantage – it is essential.

"Business software needs to speak the local language of the market and its regulations," says Torp. "Our leaders in Denmark, France, or any other market are given the mandate to lead based on their specific landscape. By combining their local passion with Visma’s shared technological and financial strength, we create a scale-up environment that is hard to match."

A framework for growth

While autonomy is a pillar of our culture, it is supported by a clear framework for success. Founders who join Visma gain access to an "ecosystem" of expertise, from security and AI to financial planning.

"Our goal is to professionalise without paralyse," Torp says. "We provide a structure for feedback and planning that helps leaders evaluate their own business. Our board meetings often focus more on technology, product innovation, and customer satisfaction than just pure financial reporting. It’s about being an owner that enables growth rather than one that micromanages it."

Read: Scaling up with Visma: A conversation with CCO Steffen Torp

A culture based on trust

Steffen Torp’s own journey at Visma reflects this philosophy. Joining as a trainee in 2006, he experienced firsthand a culture that rewards initiative and ownership.

"I was given significant responsibility from day one. There was no manual telling me exactly what to do; instead, there was a culture of trust that allowed me to take ownership and deliver results. That same spirit is what we look for when we welcome new companies into the group."

Today, this model has helped Visma grow into a European powerhouse. In 2025, the Group reached a record revenue of €2.8 billion and expanded its reach to serve over 2.4 million customers, proving that trust and local autonomy are not just cultural values – they are the engines of sustainable growth.

About Steffen Torp

Steffen Torp is the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Segment Director at Visma. He oversees the Group’s commercial strategy, ensuring profitable organic growth across a diverse web of companies and products. Since joining Visma as a Management Trainee in 2006, Steffen has held several key leadership roles. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Studies and Economics from Trinity College Dublin.

Read more about Steffen Torp and the Visma Management Team here

Looking for your next chapter?

Whether you are a founder looking for a home for your company or a talent looking for a place where trust is the default, Visma offers a different kind of tech career.

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