ClearCourse's Silverbear acquires membership management software provider Decisions

June 4, 2019

London | 04 June 2019 - Silverbear, a member of the ClearCourse Partnership and leading membership and CRM solutions provider for professional organisations, trade associations and the wider Not-for-Profit sector, today announces the acquisition of Decisions (“the company”), a provider of CRM solutions, application development and support for membership associations. The deal was financed by ClearCourse and represents the first acquisition made by one of its companies since the Partnership was set up seven months ago.


Decisions provides configurable, integrated management software and consultancy and events management services to member-driven associations, societies, clubs and professional institutes, such as the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Society of Genealogists. Following the acquisition, the company will become part of Silverbear, with all operations being rolled into the business, providing the clients of each business access to a greater range of services and software. The deal therefore represents an expansion of Silverbear’s leading CRM capabilities, adding consultancy and membership business intelligence capabilities to the company’s offering.


Silverbear was acquired by the ClearCourse in December 2018 and is one of seven companies within the Partnership. The acquisition exemplifies the way in which ClearCourse supports the growth and development of market-leading software and service providers within the membership, events & bookings and sports & leisure sectors. ClearCourse’s experienced management team will provide M&A and operational expertise to support the integration of Decisions into Silverbear.


Mark Travis, Senior Principal of Silverbear, commented: “Decisions is a great business with an excellent team. Its products and services are some of the best in the industry and are truly complementary to our offering at Silverbear. This is an exciting development for the company which has been greatly supported by the team at ClearCourse. We are looking forward to being able to provide our expanded range of products to our customers.”


Yoga Gill of Decisions, said: “Joining Silverbear and the ClearCourse Partnership is a great opportunity for us to build upon our development over the last 20 years. We are excited to be able to offer our clients an enhanced range of products and services.”


Gerry Gualtieri, CEO of ClearCourse, said: “ClearCourse was founded to help achieve operational and commercial synergies between market-leading software and service providers, so that they can offer greater value for their end users. The addition of Decisions to Silverbear will bolster the ecosystem we have built over the last seven months and represents the latest development in the Partnership’s strong growth.”

A member of staff at a farm shop smiles as she operates an EPOS terminal
July 29, 2025
LONDON 29 July 2025: ClearCourse, the provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs, announces the acquisition of Davidson Richards, a leading retail management and EPOS (electronic point of sale) systems provider. Davidson Richards provides cloud-based management and EPOS systems tailored to the retail industry. Founded in 1977 and based in Derby, Davidson Richards launched its flagship product, OpSuite, in 2012 after recognising the need to address gaps left by off-the-shelf products. Today, OpSuite enables retailers to centralise and streamline operations by integrating with core systems such as accounting software, eCommerce platforms, mobile and loyalty applications, and warehousing. Trusted by many leading garden centres – a sector where OpSuite has established a strong reputation – its extensive functionality also makes it suitable for a broad range of sectors, including grocery, fashion, and furniture. Joining the ClearCourse group will enable Davidson Richards to expand their offerings, providing customers with in-house payment and eCommerce solutions. By offering these in partnership with other specialist ClearCourse companies, Davidson Richards will be able to focus on building new client relationships and to profile the benefits of OpSuite to new retail market segments. Led by a long-serving expert team including ex-retailers, Davidson Richards offers its clients consultancy, training, bespoke development and dedicated in-house support. Their customer centric approach means that many of the Davidson Richards team are directly involved in technical or support delivery for clients to provide greater value to its clients. ClearCourse aims to become the engine powering small and medium businesses across the UK by putting big tech solutions in the hands of founders and their growing businesses. Davidson Richards offers a clear opportunity for ClearCourse to deepen its presence in the retail sector, and its long-standing, loyal customer base and experienced team closely align with ClearCourse’s culture and values. Christina Hamilton, CEO of ClearCourse said: “We are delighted to welcome Davidson Richards into the ClearCourse group as part of our Retail & Hospitality Software vertical. OpSuite is a market leading product that is well positioned to expand its innovative offering into new sectors. We are excited about the natural integration this partnership enables, as OpSuite will be able to offer in-house payment and other commerce enabling solutions through the wider ClearCourse group products.” Keith Bateman, Sales Director at Davidson Richards said: “This acquisition marks an exciting new chapter for our business and customers. Joining the ClearCourse group will enable us to enhance the service we offer our customers, particularly through the introduction of an in-house Electronic Funds Transfer solution. ClearCourse is the ideal partner to help us to grow the business through an increased investment into marketing and to reach more customers.”
June 25, 2025
LONDON, 25 June 2025 : ClearCourse, a provider of industry-specific software and embedded payment solutions for SMEs and targeted enterprises, today announced the appointment of Sacha Bielawski as Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Sacha will lead ClearCourse’s financial strategy, working with senior leaders to accelerate organic growth, drive profitable sales, and deliver the company’s goal of being a leading engine powering small and mid-sized businesses across the UK. Before joining ClearCourse, Sacha spent nearly nine years as Chief Financial Officer at Coople, a leading digital staffing agency, where he led corporate expansion initiatives and oversaw the Group’s financial strategy. He has also held senior roles within private equity and investment firms, where he focused on identifying and scaling high-potential businesses through strategic M&A, financial restructuring and investment projects across Europe and the US. Sacha builds on the achievements of Mark Grafton who will be leaving the company later this month. “We’re delighted to welcome Sacha Bielawski as ClearCourse’s new CFO at this exciting time in the company’s continued evolution” said Christina Hamilton, CEO. “His extensive expertise in scaling businesses, leading growth acceleration programmes and driving innovation and efficiency will be instrumental in delivering our next phase of growth.” “I am delighted to join ClearCourse at such a pivotal time in its journey,” Sacha Bielawski said . “I believe the company is well-positioned to capitalise on the convergence of software and payments, an accelerating trend that presents compelling organic growth opportunities over the coming years. “As ClearCourse continues to acquire software companies in high growth verticals, I look forward to leveraging my entrepreneurial experience to engage with business owners considering a partnership with ClearCourse and to support them post-acquisition to grow further within our platform. “ClearCourse is a business with significant potential, and I am excited to contribute to its next chapter of growth and long-term value creation.”