XLA, a provider of cybersecurity, data management and analytics, technical services, and international program support, has appointed James Vant as chief executive officer. XLA said Tuesday Vant will succeed Gary Slack, who retired after leading the company for a decade.
The new CEO offers over two decades of experience driving growth across government services and IT organizations, with a history of supporting critical federal missions.
“Jim’s leadership, operational expertise, and deep understanding of the government contracting landscape position him well to guide XLA through its next phase of growth,” said Lloyd Mustin, chairman and founder of XLA.
Who Is James Vant?
Vant is an industry veteran with extensive experience in scaling organizations and leading transformation. He most recently served as president of eTelligent Group, overseeing corporate strategy and supporting expansion efforts in the federal sector.
He spent nearly 15 years at Octo, an IBM company, where he held multiple leadership roles, including general manager, overseeing customer success and corporate financial performance while supporting mergers and acquisitions efforts and enterprise operations. He also served as an executive vice president and senior VP, leading business development and profit and loss management for the Department of War and intelligence community portfolios.
Vant worked at Gartner for more than nine years, including as a senior director and a senior consultant. Before that, he was a consultant and a business analyst at PwC and American Management Systems, respectively.
What Will Vant Prioritize at XLA?
In a statement, Vant said he plans to align the company with evolving government priorities while refining its go-to-market approach. He added that the focus will include strengthening execution and advancing delivery across federal missions.
