VISION & EXPERTISE · SAAS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Post-sales is now the key factor in determining the valuation of SaaS providers.

For ten years, publishers have made ‘Go-to-Market’ their top priority. Today, value is determined after the contract is signed: gross margin on services, services-led ARR, NRR, monetisation of vertical and agent-based AI, and the operational model’s ability to scale.

In the age of agent-based AI, the publishers that will succeed are those that have reinvented their after-sales service before it becomes their main point of failure.

Mathilde Henry shares her strategic vision for post-sales and the creation of sustainable value.

FINDINGS

SaaS models are reaching a tipping point.

The acceleration in growth preceded the structuring of the post-sales function. The consequences are now evident at COMEX and on the Board: a slumping gross margin for services, a misalignment between Sales and Delivery, a fragmented Customer Success function, untapped AI productivity, and NRR under pressure.

WHAT THE COMEX SEES

Visible symptoms.

• Unprofitable services, falling gross margin

• Projects running over budget, high staff turnover in delivery teams

• Sales, Services and Customer Support operating in silos

• Growth that the organisation can no longer cope with

• Fragmented AI, with no board-level business case

THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM

An operational model that no longer scales.

This is no longer a technological issue. It is strategic, financial and organisational. It is a matter for the Executive Committee and the Board.

Software publishers must realign their strategy, governance, delivery, Customer Success, P&L and AI roadmap — all under a single executive leadership.

STRATEGIC EXPERTISE

Four areas of operation on a par with COMEX.

My areas of expertise: a global SaaS provider, operating across multiple continents (the Americas, EMEA, APAC), at the intersection of P&L, post-sales transformation, AI and executive leadership.

Post-sales processing

Realign Sales, Services and Customer Success under a unified P&L. Restore gross margin, secure NRR and ensure sustainable growth.

Professional Services & Customer Success

Building scalable and profitable models where the service drives adoption, retention and service-led ARR

Vertical & agent-based AI

Scale up the use of AI in operations and in our offering. Reduce the cost of service, generate differentiated revenue, and protect margins.

Profitable growth & governance

P&L-driven management, the 40 rule, capital allocation and board-level governance that is transparent to shareholders.

LEADERSHIP

Leading the Executive Committee: clarity, high standards, alignment.

Sustainable transformations combine performance, strategic clarity and human intelligence. For a global publisher, the ability to unite several thousand employees and give their work meaning becomes a fundamental competitive advantage.

Strategic clarity

Provide clear direction to the Executive Committee and the Board. Align priorities. Simplify complexity.

Operational excellence

Maintaining margins, NRR and growth simultaneously. Building organisations capable of coping with scaling.

Human-centred leadership

Transform without undermining commitment, trust or key talent. Make decisions quickly and ensure everyone is on board.

A conversation amongst peers about post-sales, AI and valuation.

For CEOs, division heads, CFOs, board members and private equity operating partners who wish to engage with an executive-level analysis of post-sales SaaS, AI monetisation and transformation at executive committee level.

Starting the conversation