Title: Chief Executive Officer and Board Member
Company: smartShift
Location: Lake Mary, Florida, United States
Derek Oats, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member at smartShift, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Corporate Administration.
Mr. Oats has established himself in the corporate sector with a career spanning over 25 years in technology and SAP transformation, earning recognition for his expertise and leadership in driving financial turnarounds and operational growth. Since 2021, he has served as the chief executive officer at smartShift, where he is also active on the board. Mr. Oats’ role involves managing growth operations, overseeing global profit and loss responsibilities, and driving success across revenue, profitability and sales.
Under Mr. Oats’ stewardship, smartShift has undergone a remarkable transformation since he assumed leadership five years ago, when the organization was incurring annual losses of $2 million. Through strategic vision and operational discipline, he reversed this trajectory, guiding the organization to a projected profit exceeding $20 million. Approximately two and a half years ago, Mr. Oats also led smartShift through a successful sale to a private equity firm, marking a significant milestone in his career and underscoring his reputation for orchestrating high-impact business turnarounds.
Before being named chief executive officer, Mr. Oats served as the executive vice president and general manager of business transformation at smartShift from 2020 to 2021. In this capacity, he played an instrumental role in shaping the company’s strategic direction and operational execution.
Recruited from SNP SE, a provider of software for managing complex digital transformation processes, Mr. Oats spent 2019 to 2020 as the company’s chief executive officer for the Americas. Responsible for overseeing regional operations, he was also influential in expanding its footprint within the SAP partner ecosystem and doubling sales from $11 million in 2018 to over $22 million in 2019.
Between 2015 and 2019, Mr. Oats served as the global vice president of database and data management at SAP. Among his earlier roles, he was an SAP HANA business transformation leader at Tata Consultancy Services, after initially working as an associate partner for SAP HANA and analytics at IBM. Employed by Oracle, Mr. Oats excelled as an advanced customer services SAP sales director for North America and then as a solution specialist for SAP within Oracle’s business development division in North America, beginning in 2009. He also held positions with Signature Consultants, CDC Software LLC and Verso Technologies. He began his career with Akamai Technologies in 2001 as a customer care leader.
In preparation for his future, Mr. Oats completed coursework at the University of Massachusetts after graduating from Randolph High School. Initially aspiring to become a physical therapist, he later considered finance but discovered his passion for technology after taking a call support role at a tech company.
Beyond his corporate achievements, Mr. Oats is deeply committed to civic engagement. Since 2017, he has served as a football coordinator, coach and board member with the Amherst Patriots Youth Football while also volunteering as a youth football coach in Lake Mary, Florida. Mr. Oats’ dedication to youth sports reflects his broader commitment to community involvement.
Mr. Oats has received several honors, including inclusion in the President’s Club and recognition as a Representative of the Year for his outstanding performance. Throughout his professional journey, he has been recognized for his ability to drive organizational change within the SAP market and transformation space. He is particularly proud to have been directly recruited into SDP by one of the five founders of SAP, a testament to his standing in the industry.
Attributing much of his success to being a team player, Mr. Oats acknowledges the support of colleagues throughout his ascent in the industry. Looking ahead, he intends to deepen his engagement with community initiatives and dedicate more time to coaching youth sports, while exploring opportunities in motivational and leadership speaking.
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