XLA hires former Octo exec as CEO
Gettyimages.com / Andriy Onufriyenko
By
Ross Wilkers
James Vant spent 15 years at Octo and helped shape it to eventually be acquired by IBM.
XLA has hired a new chief executive in James Vant, a two-decade veteran of the market who spent 15 years at Octo prior to its acquisition in 2023 by IBM.
He joins XLA to lead its efforts at re-energizing its brand and evolving the go-to-market approach, the company said Tuesday.
Vant succeeds Gary Slack, who previously led XLA for a decade and has retired from the company.
XLA is owned by the private equity firm Halifax Group, which acquired the technology and professional services provider in 2011.
Most recently, Vant worked as president of eTelligent Group with responsibility over its overall strategy and growth priorities.
Vant first joined Octo in 2009, three years after Mehul Sanghani founded the technology modernization company, and subsequently held positions of increasing responsibility there.
In Octo’s final two years as an independent company, Vant was its general manager with responsibility over corporate-wide functions such as contract pursuits and merger-and-acquisition activities.
Prior to Octo, Vant spent nine years at Gartner in roles such as senior director and senior consultant.