A global Microsoft Dynamics partner that claims AI represents its “biggest opportunity yet” has moved to appoint former Crayon CEO Melissa Mulholland as its CEO.
Mulholland joins 3,000-employee, Amsterdam-based HSO three months after leaving SoftwareOne in the wake of its acquisition of Crayon.
Before Crayon, she spent more than a decade at Microsoft building its global partner ecosystem.
Boasting a presence across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, HSO’s UK subsidiary turned over £56.6m in calendar 2025, its latest accounts indicate.
In what HSO is characterising as a “carefully planned generational succession”, Mulholland has taken the reins from Peter ter Maaten, who founded HSO in 1987.
He remains a major shareholder and a member of the supervisory board.
She joins 15 months after Bain Capital acquired HSO for a reported $1bn.
HSO claims AI “is the biggest opportunity yet” to deliver on its mission of “improving the business performance and results of our clients through technology”.
“I’m thrilled to lead HSO’s outstanding global team into its next phase of growth. AI lets us build on HSO’s strengths and deliver even greater results for our clients,” Mulholland stated.
“Peter founded and built an exceptional company, and we are delighted that he remains closely involved. We are equally excited to work with Melissa as she takes HSO forward as a go-to partner for AI transformation,” said Christophe Jacobs van Merlen, Partner at Bain Capital.
