Ken Jarvis, Patrick Evans, Bruce Maclaren and Steven Sidley’s names are almost as recognisable as that of the brand they’re bring to the local market – Salesforce.com. Jarvis (ex-SARS), Evans (ex-Symantec), Maclaren (ex- but still sort of Nedbank CIO) and Sidley (ex-Anglo American CTO) have teamed up with Quinton Pienaar (ex-Mix Telematics CIO) in a plot to take over the software world. Or something very like it.

As Mix CIO, Pienaar had been involved in the largest Salesforce.com implementation in South Africa to date. This involvement gave him an idea. He approached Jarvis, saying he was thinking of opening a local Salesforce.com offi ce in South Africa. Jarvis was keen, and Maclaren, Sidley and Evans were soon willingly roped in too.