The chairman of Ocado Group has been appointed to the board of European software giant Visma, as the company prepares for what could become one of London’s largest stock market listings in years.
Sky News has learned that Adam Warby, Ocado’s chair, is set to join Visma as a non-executive director, with an official announcement expected imminently. The move comes as Visma accelerates preparations for a potential initial public offering in London, which could value the business at more than €20 billion.
Warby will join the board alongside Sir Ron Kalifa, the veteran City figure who has already been lined up as chairman to guide Visma through its flotation. The high-profile appointments underline the seriousness of Visma’s plans and could provide a much-needed boost to the London Stock Exchange, which has struggled to attract major listings in recent years.
While no firm timeline has been confirmed, sources say Visma’s IPO could take place as early as the end of the first quarter of 2026, depending on market conditions and the scale of capital raised.
Based in Norway, Visma provides accounting, payroll, HR and business software to more than one million small business customers across Europe. The company has expanded rapidly through both organic growth and a string of acquisitions, driving strong increases in profitability and valuation.
Visma is backed by a consortium of sovereign wealth funds and private equity investors, including Hg, which has played a central role in the company’s growth strategy.
The decision to pursue a London listing, rather than alternatives such as Amsterdam’s Euronext exchange, marks a positive signal for the UK market at a time when several high-profile companies have chosen to list elsewhere.
Visma declined to comment.
