Our Leadership Team

Jason Kurtz is a seasoned leader with a wealth of experience in international sales, marketing and business development. He joined as CEO of Basware in 2023, following Accel-KKR's successful offer for the majority shares in Basware. With a wealth of experience in the technology and SaaS industries, Jason is responsible for guiding the company's growth and transformation.

Prior to joining Basware, Jason worked with Accel-KKR since 2013, launching the Accel-KKR Consulting Group. Before that, he held several executive roles during 11 years at Ariba, Inc. (acquired by SAP in 2012), and was a member of the company’s Management Committee.

In addition to leading Basware, Jason serves on the Board of Directors of several software companies, including iSolved, Unimarket and Estela. Jason received his M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas in Austin.

With nearly 20 years in the finance field, Martti is a proven CFO committed to the business and his team. Laser-focused on delivering value to all stakeholders, he strikes the right balance of business insight and interpersonal skills.

Martti joined Basware and the Executive Team in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer. In his role, Martti oversees Basware's financial operations and strategic financial planning and execution globally, driving the company's growth initiatives alongside customers' value realization.

Previously, he served as CFO in Nordic, publicly listed IT services and software companies, Solteq and Affecto. Prior to these CFO roles, he spent more than a decade in various finance leadership positions at IBM and Johnson Controls.

Insights from Martti:

• The CFO's perspective: Leveraging Hyperautomation for Touchless AP Processing

Mark McCarthy joined Basware’s Executive Team in March 2024, transitioning from the company’s lead investor, Accel-KKR, where he supported Basware through the investment and subsequent business transformation.

Based in New York, Mark has almost 30 years’ experience of building, transforming, and growing go-to-market teams in the enterprise software arena. Mark’s role at Basware sees him driving several new commercial initiatives, as well as leading the integration of recent Basware acquisitions.

Prior to joining Accel-KKR in 2022, Mark served in senior roles within the spend management and ERP software markets, including as Senior Vice President of Coupa Software in both EMEA and North America, Managing Director of SAP's UK and Nordics Cloud businesses, and Vice President of Ariba.

Jane has a commercial background working for multiple large blue chip organisations. Since 2005 Jane has dedicated her career to human resources (HR) working in global roles where she is well versed in strategy, leadership, leading complex change programs, M&A, corporate communication and leading the people agenda across diverse countries and cultures.

She has served in many Senior HR positions at Basware since 2010, joining the Basware Executive Team in 2015. As Chief Human Resources Officer, Jane provides leadership to the global HR admin team and as an integral part of the executive teams provides commercial, transformative HR solutions to the group. Under her leadership, Basware has garnered several awards for its best-in-class, team-focused workplace and culture.

Prior to Basware, Jane held multiple roles in IT Consulting services and human resources working for matrixed international organisations, including BP, ExxonMobil, IBM and SAP.

Lars is a seasoned leader in the fields of international marketing, strategy and business development. An expert digital strategist, he has led several large organisations through complex digital transformations.

Lars joined Basware and the Executive Team in 2016 as Chief Marketing Officer. In this role, his passion for architecting digital programs, improving the customer experience and crystalizing brand positioning continues to be integral to guiding the global marketing team and supporting sales funnel creation.

Spending a large part of his career at Canon, he held several roles focused on developing successful marketing strategies in the imaging industry. He was Marketing Director, UK & Ireland prior to joining Basware.

A highly analytical and detail-oriented product strategist, Perttu directs the Basware product and technology portfolio with a customer-oriented approach. Leading his departments in an entrepreneurial fashion, he encourages his team to look beyond the obvious and creatively evaluate all technology options, always pushing for the most innovative, customer-focused solution.

Perttu joined Basware in 2012 and has advanced rapidly with various product and strategy leadership positions; he became an Executive team member in 2020. Perttu is responsible for overseeing Basware's product strategy, technology innovation and R&D, ensuring that the company's solutions continue to meet and exceed customer needs.

Prior to Basware, he held positions in research, development, product management and consultancy, including Manager at August Associates and Head of Strategy/Operations at Nokia MeeGo Computers.

Insights from Perttu:

• FORBES: Four Fundamentals For Fail-Proof Leadership In A Disruptive World
• FORBES: Four Questions To Determine If A SaaS Provider Is An Innovation Enabler Or Blocker

Katarina Paasi is a seasoned leader with deep expertise in sales strategy, operations, and business transformation. Appointed Chief of Staff at Basware in 2025 and a member of the Executive Team, Katarina works closely with the CEO and leadership team to drive strategic execution, ensure cross-functional alignment, and lead high-impact initiatives that accelerate business performance and strengthen collaboration across the organization.

Prior to her current role, Katarina led Basware’s Global Revenue Operations, where she shaped go-to-market strategies, introduced new sales methodologies, and drove key digital transformation efforts. She brings over 20 years of experience at the intersection of strategy, policy, and execution, with a track record of turning complex challenges into actionable outcomes, across global teams.

Before joining Basware, Katarina held leadership roles at TeliaSonera and SAP, focusing on operational excellence, sales enablement, and business development across the Nordics. She began her career in marketing and communications, grounding her leadership in a customer-first mindset and a pragmatic, people-centered approach built on clarity, accountability, and empowerment.

Mark Johnston joined Basware in 2023 following a career of leading customer-facing teams at data analytics and digital transformation firms. He is responsible for leading the Customer Success team, which provides an ongoing holistic view of customer objectives by expanding and realizing the potential of Basware products and solutions.

Previously, Mark was Vice President of Customer Value and Professional Services, North America for Celonis and Global Head of Customer Success at Infogix.

Mark Johnston holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Northwestern University and a JD Law Degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Barrett Schiwitz joined Basware in 2024 to lead its internal digital transformation. He has more than 30 years of experience with technology companies in a variety of roles, including as a software developer, IT executive, and transformation leader.

Barrett is responsible for Basware's digital transformation to enable its teams to better serve its customers through efficient processes, modern systems, and quality data. He dedicates his energy to helping organizations evolve while improving efficiency and service delivery.

Prior to joining Basware, he worked at Snap One and helped the company absorb many companies while quadrupling in size. Previously, he spent most of his career at Radiant Systems, where he led both corporate customer-related and internal projects, gaining experience in all aspects of business processes and systems. Barrett has also worked at Travelport, NCR, Servigistics and Arthur Andersen. Barrett holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Florida Southern College.

Franck is a seasoned, results-driven executive with a strong focus on building and leading high-performing technical teams. He spearheads Basware’s global Customer Support organization with a relentless commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Franck’s goal as Chief Customer Support Officer is to ensure his teams consistently provide top-tier service, prioritizing swift and effective resolutions to complex challenges while maintaining a deep emphasis on customer satisfaction.

Franck joined Basware in 2024 with a mission to elevate the Customer Support organization, driving innovative strategies to maximize customer ROI and deliver outstanding support service. He brings with him a wealth of experience from notable roles as the Global Head of Support at leading SaaS startups and global enterprises, including Kyriba, Symphony Secure Communication, and ServiceNow.

Sam Pathmasiri is a seasoned General Counsel and advisor to the Executive Team for all legal matters. He brings over 18 years of legal experience gained in both private practice and in-house positions in multinational tech companies. Prior to joining Basware, he was General Counsel and then Chief of Staff to the CEO at software company Cyncly.

Prior to his in-house positions, Sam honed his expertise as a commercial lawyer at Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, where he advised on IP/IT matters and guided clients through intricate licensing, M&A, and due diligence processes. He brings a strong business partner mentality to the legal team and has a customer centric approach towards both his internal and external clients.

Sam holds a Master of Law from the Université de Montreal and Bachelor of Science in Genetics.