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Tacton Appoints Former IFS Executive Merlin Knott as Chief Commercial Officer to Accelerate Global Growth and Scale Beyond CPQ

Business

Tacton Appoints Former IFS Executive Merlin Knott as Chief Commercial Officer to Accelerate Global Growth and Scale Beyond CPQ
Business

Business

Tacton Appoints Former IFS Executive Merlin Knott as Chief Commercial Officer to Accelerate Global Growth and Scale Beyond CPQ

2026-10-02 21:01 Last Updated At:21:10

CHICAGO & STOCKHOLM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 2, 2026--

Tacton, a global leader in Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software and configuration solutions for manufacturers of complex products, today announced the appointment of Merlin Knott as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). In this role, Knott will lead Tacton’s global commercial organization, including marketing, sales, and pre-sales, aligning the teams responsible for bringing Tacton’s solutions to market, and driving value to its customers and partners globally.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261002794882/en/

Knott joins Tacton with decades of experience building and scaling commercial organizations across the enterprise software industry. Most recently, he held senior leadership roles at IFS, the world’s leading provider of Industrial AI software, where he led global partner and channel operations before becoming President of the company’s Enterprise Service Management business. Under his leadership, IFS’s partner ecosystem grew to contribute more than 40% of software license revenue. Earlier in his career, Knott held leadership positions at SAP, Cura Software, and MicroStrategy.

“Merlin brings the combination of global commercial leadership, enterprise software experience, and proven ability to scale organizations, which will fuel Tacton’s next phase of growth,” said Klaus Andersen, Chief Executive Officer of Tacton. “Under Merlin’s leadership, we will strengthen how we go to market, continue to drive value to our customers, and capitalize on the significant opportunity ahead of us.”

Knott’s appointment comes as Tacton expands beyond CPQ with the Tacton Connected Suite, connecting how manufacturers define, sell and deliver highly configurable products around one source of configuration truth. As manufacturers look to modernize increasingly complex commercial and operational processes, Tacton is investing in its product portfolio, AI innovation and go-to-market organization to accelerate growth across North America and EMEA.

“Tacton has a tremendous opportunity to build on its leadership in complex manufacturing and bring even greater value to customers as the company expands its vision beyond CPQ,” said Knott. “What excites me most is the opportunity to bring our commercial teams together around a shared strategy connecting how we create demand, engage customers, demonstrate value and ultimately help manufacturers transform how they sell and deliver highly configurable products. I’m looking forward to working with the team to accelerate Tacton’s next phase of growth.”

As Chief Commercial Officer, Knott will focus on building an integrated global commercial strategy that accelerates custom acquisition, and expansion across North America and EMEA, strengthening alignment across regions, and long-term value. His appointment reinforces Tacton’s continued investment in scaling its global business and expanding its position as a strategic technology partner for complex manufacturers.

About Tacton

Tacton is a global leader in Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software and configuration solutions for manufacturers of complex products. Tacton’s Connected Suite creates a digital thread across engineering, sales and manufacturing, giving teams one source of configuration truth from product definition through order preparation. Trusted by leading global manufacturers, Tacton helps companies manage product complexity, improve the buying experience, and ensures every customer promise is valid, sellable, and buildable. Tacton is co-headquartered in Chicago and Stockholm, with offices and customers around the world.

Learn more at tacton.com.

Merlin Knott, Chief Commercial Officer, Tacton

Merlin Knott, Chief Commercial Officer, Tacton

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s governor and attorney general were set to give an update Friday morning about the investigation into a woman’s allegations that she was gang raped at a Cornell University fraternity house.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday she appointed the office of Attorney General Letitia James as the special prosecutor to oversee the investigation, saying she had lost faith in the local district attorney’s ability to handle the case.

The investigation initially was closed without charges in 2024.

Last month, the woman filed a lawsuit and Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten reopened the investigation. He has since been bombarded by criticism that he abandoned the original investigation too quickly.

The attorney general will oversee the investigation and, if warranted, present evidence to a grand jury, Hochul said.

“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued," she said in a statement Thursday.

Van Houten didn't immediately respond to Thursday messages seeking comment.

The case has roiled the Ivy League campus and raised questions about its response and the larger issue of how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, told campus police in November of 2024 that she was sexually assaulted, then discussed it with the university’s internal investigators as part of Cornell’s disciplinary process.

The lawsuit against seven fraternity brothers, the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and others alleges that she was plied with drugs and alcohol, then subjected to sexual acts by a group of men while she was partially or entirely incapacitated. One of the men sent a social media message to other fraternity members alerting them to what was happening, and inviting people to take part, according to the lawsuit.

Lawyers for two of the men she is suing have denied they participated in a sexual assault. One said his client hadn’t touched the woman. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the other men or their representatives have been unsuccessful.

FILE - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, listens as Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference in New York, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, listens as Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference in New York, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Shown is the the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Shown is the the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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