By Tess Mayne, Chief People Officer, Vesta Software Group
People often ask me what it’s actually like to work within our group. And while I could talk about structure, frameworks and processes – and I will, because they matter – what I find myself coming back to is something a little simpler: this is a place where people are genuinely valued and where the commitment to them doesn’t have an expiry date.
That might sound like something any company would say. But at Vesta, it’s built into the model itself.
Built to last
As a buy-and-hold acquirer, we’re not managing our portfolio businesses towards an exit. We’re investing in them indefinitely, which fundamentally shapes how we think about the people within them.
Where a more traditional acquirer might focus on short-term optimisation, we focus on long-term capability. That means taking the time to build leadership depth, develop succession pipelines and embed good practices at a pace that works for each business, rather than forcing change for the sake of a transaction timeline. We’re playing a longer game. The way we invest in people reflects that.
For the teams within our portfolio businesses, that stability is something they feel, as we’re not constantly restructuring for short-term gain. People can make decisions, influence outcomes and operate with real ownership knowing the ground beneath them isn’t about to shift.
The right foundations
Our approach to people is deliberately practical. We focus on getting the fundamentals right: clear roles, strong leadership and robust processes that give people the platform they need to do their best work.
At a group level, we set clear expectations around governance, core HR processes and fair employee practices. But beyond that, we trust our leaders. HR’s role is to provide structure and guidance where it matters most, not to impose a rigid, top-down model across businesses that are, by design, independent.
That balance matters to us. It keeps the entrepreneurial spirit of each business alive, while still ensuring a consistent and fair experience for everyone across the group.
A culture you can’t manufacture, but you can nurture
One of the questions I get asked most often is how we maintain a consistent culture across a group that spans more than 20 countries and dozens of independent businesses. The honest answer is: we don’t try to make it uniform, because that wouldn’t work and it wouldn’t be right.
What we focus on instead is consistency in principles, not sameness in behaviours. Each business has its own identity, its own history and its own way of doing things; we work with that, particularly in the period following an acquisition, rather than trying to smooth it away.
What holds everything together isn’t a set of mandated values on a wall. It’s a shared commitment to treating people well, listening to them and giving them the autonomy to shape the environment they work in.
Learning and development across the group
Supporting people to grow is something we take seriously, and our approach reflects the same mix of central structure and local flexibility that runs through everything we do.
At a group level, we’ve been building more structured capability through our learning management platform, with targeted modules covering compliance and leadership development. Alongside that, we support practical, role-specific development, whether that’s internal programmes, functional training or knowledge sharing across the group. We’ve also run talent workshops and made virtual learning resources available to teams across our portfolio.
Rather than developing a single central curriculum that every business follows, we’re making sure the right development is available to the right people, at the right time.
What people actually tell us
If I’m honest, the thing that comes through most consistently in feedback (and still surprises people when they hear it from the outside) is how much autonomy individuals have within the group.
People value being able to make real decisions and have genuine influence over their work. They value the stability that comes from being part of a business that isn’t being optimised for a future sale. And they value being listened to, knowing that when they share feedback, it actually shapes how we evolve.
That last point is one I care about personally. Surveys and feedback mechanisms are only worth having if something changes as a result. We try hard to make sure they do.
A long-term commitment to the people behind the businesses
At Vesta, we talk a lot about being a permanent home for the businesses we acquire. What I hope comes through in everything above is that the same is true for the people within them.
We’re not a business that acquires companies, extracts value and moves on. We’re building something for the long term, and the people who are part of that journey are central to everything we do.
If you’re exploring the next chapter for your software company, we’re always open to a conversation.
