Dean Forbes

Dean Forbes is Chief Executive Officer at Forterro. Forbes joined the group in March of 2021, after having been tapped by Battery Ventures to reinvigorate Forterro’s growth strategy in Europe.

Forbes joins Forterro after an extensive career in executive and senior leadership roles for a number of international software companies. Most recently he led the growth and expansion of CoreHR, a UK HCM software provider, across Europe. CoreHR was later acquired by The Access Group in the UK’s largest private to private Human Capital Management (HCM) M&A deal. Forbes subsequently served as president and executive board member at The Access Group’s HR technology business.

Prior to CoreHR, Forbes was CEO of Paris-headquartered SaaS software company KDS, where he led the successful growth and international expansion of the firm, leading to its acquisition by American Express. Early in his career, Forbes held senior leadership roles at Philadelphia-headquartered software firm Primavera Systems, where he ran the company’s operations across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Forbes grew the business until it was sold to Oracle, where he was asked to lead worldwide sales and marketing for a related division—making him the youngest vice president at Oracle for nearly 30 years.

Over a 20-year career, Forbes has transitioned from being a junior sales executive in a call centre to becoming one of Britain’s top 50 business leaders according to Lloyds Bank and The Daily Telegraph. Forbes founded the Forbes Family Group (FFG) in 2020, where he serves as chairman and actively coaches and mentors leaders within the firm’s investment portfolio. Forbes is also an unwavering champion of social mobility initiatives—as part of uncovering new investment opportunities for FFG, as well as through initiatives sponsored within the local communities connected with FFG.