Lake Oswego software maker Navex is changing leadership as CEO Bob Conlin becomes executive chairman and its recently hired president and chief operating officer moves into the top role.
Sean Thompson joined Navex in September. The move was part of succession planning by Conlin and the company’s board. Thompson’s new title is president and CEO.
"After working closely with Sean over the past nine months, I am highly confident that Sean will further accelerate Navex’s strong record of growth," said Conlin in a written statement. "Sean’s passion for our mission, our employees and our customers is clear, and his successful track record of scaling enterprise software and (software-as-a-service) businesses will position Navex for continued success."
Thompson joined Navex from enterprise software maker SAP. He was with the German-based company for five years and was executive vice president and general manager of SAP Procurement Network and Ecosystem when he left.
“We are thrilled by the opportunity to work with Sean and Bob on the next leg of the Navex journey. Under Bob’s leadership, Navex has continued to prosper as the market leader in governance, risk and compliance SaaS for the world’s leading enterprises," said Mark Fariborz, partner at BC Partners, in a written statement. "We have every confidence that Sean will accelerate the company’s important work helping organizations manage risk, promote ethical workplace cultures and address (environment, social and governance) through the Navex One platform.”
London-based private equity firm BC Partners is the majority owner of Navex. Vista Equity Partners also owns a minority share.
Navex has more than 1,200 employees globally and more than 13,000 customers. The company makes ethics, compliance and risk management software used by large companies.
"It is an honor to succeed Bob as CEO," said Thompson in a written statement. "I am energized by the opportunity to lead a team of motivated and talented individuals whose first priority is to serve our customers. With this focus in mind, and a strong technology platform to build on, Navex is assured of continued success."
The company was formed in 2012 by a series of mergers by its then-private equity owner the Riverside Co. It took the name Navex Global in 2012 and simply Navex earlier this year. Conlin has been CEO for 10 years.
Navex has continued to build on its foundation of acquisition. Under Conlin the company has made eight acquisitions that have taken the company into environmental, social and governance software as well as risk assessment. Deals have also boosted the company’s offerings on whistleblower hotlines and capabilities surrounding expanding government regulations.
In 2015, under Conlin, Navex bought one of its biggest rivals and doubled the size of the company.
