NICE (NASDAQ: NICE) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Scott Russell as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1st 2025, to succeed Barak Eilam, who, as previously announced, will retire and step down by the end of 2024 after more than 10 years as CEO and 25 years at NICE.
Scott brings tremendous experience, having spent more than 25 years in the enterprise software sector. For the last 14 years, Scott was at SAP, most recently as a member of the Executive Board of the Company and Global Chief Revenue Officer, leading Customer Success including global sales, partners, and customer engagement responsible for $31 billion of revenues spearheading the company’s transformation to cloud revenues. He also served as Chairman of SAP North America and Chairman of multiple business units of the SAP portfolio, and previously served on Qualtrics’ Board of Directors. As an Executive Board Member of SAP, he supported M&A, planning, market guidance, and corporate governance.
Prior to his roles at SAP, Scott worked at IBM and PWC. Scott has a bachelor’s degree in computer and information sciences from Federation University, and a post graduate degree in business from Deakin University at Geelong Campus, Australia. Scott will be based in NICE’s Hoboken, NJ office.
“We are thrilled to welcome Scott as the new CEO of NICE,” said David Kostman, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “His extensive enterprise software experience in adjacent markets and leadership at global scale will be instrumental as he leads NICE through its next phase of growth. I am confident that Scott’s background, personality, energy, and drive, will take NICE to new heights as we continue to execute on our platform strategy leveraging cloud, digital and AI. I want to take this opportunity to again express our gratitude to Barak for the transformative years of NICE under his leadership, propelling the company to undisputed leadership across its markets. I am also very pleased that Barak agreed to continue as CEO until the end of the year and that he will be working with Scott on an orderly transition into 2025.”
Scott Russell shared, “I am honored to take on the role of CEO at such an exciting time for NICE. We have an incredible opportunity ahead of us as NICE continues to lead the digital and AI transformation and provides a unique platform for growth in the coming years. I am highly impressed by the culture of the company, the innovative product portfolio, and its strong global presence and leadership position. I look forward to working with the talented team at NICE to continue to build on the heritage and success NICE has had over the last decade and lead the company into its next phase of growth.”
“It has been a privilege and a pleasure to lead NICE over the past 10 years.” said Barak Eilam CEO of NICE. “Alongside our 8,500 dedicated NICErs, we have significantly scaled the company, establishing it as the leader in all its respective markets. Over the past decade, our outstanding leadership team has driven accelerated growth, achieved remarkable profitability, and built a robust recurring revenue stream resulting in tremendous value creation. With such a strong foundation, NICE is well-positioned for a leadership transition, and I am confident it will continue to thrive under Scott’s leadership. I will continue to lead NICE through the end of 2024 and support the transition during the early part of 2025.”
Mr. Russell’s appointment follows a process led by the Board of Directors and supported by Spencer Stuart, a leading global executive search firm.
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