Silverfin names An Maes CEO to drive European growth
Silverfin has appointed An Maes as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 March 2026. She succeeds the previous CEO after serving as General Manager International at the cloud-based accountancy software provider.
Founded in Ghent in 2013, Silverfin sells a software-as-a-service platform used by accountancy practices to manage accounting and compliance work. The leadership change comes as the company pursues international expansion and a broader product and services portfolio.
Silverfin operates in Belgium and the UK and has expanded across Europe. Its technology is used by 90% of large accountancy firms in Belgium and by 30 of the top 100 accounting firms in the UK, according to the company. It counts all of the Big 4 as customers and works with more than 1,000 accountancy practices worldwide.
Business focus
Maes joined Silverfin in 2019 after more than seven years at EY, where she worked as an accountant. In her most recent role, she led growth outside Belgium. Silverfin also credits her with strengthening relationships with international accounting networks and brands.
Silverfin positions its platform as a way for practices to standardise and automate parts of compliance work. It connects with financial software used by firms and their clients, centralises live client data, and automates workflow steps tied to compliance processes. The platform also includes features the company describes as AI-driven insights.
Under Maes, Silverfin plans to increase adoption in the UK, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark. It also aims to expand its platform-as-a-service offering for accounting firms and software partners.
Silverfin will continue to focus on Belgium, where it has a large installed base among accountancy firms. The country remains a key market for product development and customer relationships, given the scale of adoption across the local accounting and financial sector.
Visma ownership
Silverfin is part of Visma, the business software group that acquired the company in 2023. Visma Business Area Director Joris Dresselaers linked the appointment to Visma's focus on tools for financial professionals and the shift towards more automated accounting processes.
"Our goal at Visma is to provide the best tools for the financial professionals of tomorrow. Under An's leadership, Silverfin will continue to bridge the gap between complex data and actionable insights for accountancy firms. She has a proven track record of helping practices move beyond manual compliance to become true strategic partners for their clients, and we are excited to see her scale that impact globally," said Joris Dresselaers, Business Area Director, Visma.
Maes pointed to changes in the profession driven by automation and the application of AI tools. She said firms face pressure to standardise compliance work while also seeking growth through advisory services.
"AI is fundamentally reshaping how accountancy firms operate. As compliance becomes increasingly automated and standardised, firms have a real opportunity to differentiate through higher-margin advisory services," said An Maes, CEO, Silverfin.
She said her priorities include further international growth and continued work on compliance processes and visibility across firm portfolios.
"Silverfin plays a central role in that shift. Our next step is to accelerate international growth while continuing to optimise compliance at scale and strengthen the insight firms have into their processes and portfolios. Delivering on that ambition depends on the strength of our teams and continuing to invest in the people who build and support our platform every day," said Maes.
Silverfin says it serves accounting firms across 18 countries. The next phase of expansion is expected to focus on deeper penetration in selected European markets while broadening partnerships with software providers that connect to its platform.