Convergys has announced that President and COO David F. Dougherty will succeed James F. Orr as CEO at the company’s annual meeting on April 17. Orr will retire at the end of the year.
“Convergys has just completed a year of record results in revenues and earnings per share and is well- positioned for future success,” Orr said in announcing the succession. “The work done over the past two years to strengthen the company and enhance its operating performance is clearly producing positive results. We are fortunate to have an executive of Dave Dougherty’s outstanding ability and extensive experience ready to assume the position of CEO. I am very confident that the company will continue to prosper under his leadership.”
Dougherty, joined Cincinnati Bell’s MATRIXX Marketing subsidiary in 1990 and became president and CEO in 1995. He was appointed president of Convergys’ Customer Management business when it was formed in 1998. During his career at Convergys, he has had responsibility for each of the company’s businesses and was appointed president and COO of Convergys in September 2005 and became a member of the board of directors last August. He will retain the title of president in addition to CEO.
Orr joined Convergys’ predecessor company, Cincinnati Bell, Inc., in 1988 after more than 20 years at Procter and Gamble. In 1996, he was appointed COO of Cincinnati Bell Inc. and a member of the board of directors. At different times, he had served as president and CEO of each of the businesses that now make up Convergys. When Convergys became an independent company in 1998, Orr became the company’s first CEO. He was elected chairman of the board in 2000 and has led the company from its early days as a subsidiary of Cincinnati Bell to its current position as a global leader in its field with revenues of $2.8 billion, operations in more than 70 countries employing 74,000 employees
Convergys is one of largest providers of outsourced HR services with clients such as DuPont, Whirlpool, the states or Texas and Florida, and other Fortune 1000 clients. Its Employee Care division is headed up by Karen Bowman, who was elected the HROA Provider Executive of the year in 2005.