Global consulting and digital services provider, ICF has announced that Sudhakar Kesavan will retire from the company’s board of directors on December 31. The board has approved a succession plan that appoints John Wasson, President and CEO, to the additional position of chairman of the board, effective January 1.
Kesavan has served as ICF’s chair of the board and CEO from 1999 until 2019, when he became executive chairman. During his tenure, he guided ICF through an extended period of expansion that included over 20 acquisitions and growth in annual revenues from $100 million to $1.5 billion.
“It has been an honor to lead ICF through its transformation over the past 20+ years,” Kesavan said. “I have worked with and benefited from so many talented colleagues and I am proud of what we have accomplished together. ICF has grown rapidly and we have built a mission-driven company that addresses some of the most critical issues of our time. I am immensely proud of the positive impact of ICF’s work. I am confident that John and our excellent management team will drive continued growth and maintain our unique and vibrant culture.”
Kesavan joined ICF in 1983 as an associate, served in several positions, and was appointed CEO in 1999. He led ICF to its successful IPO in 2006 and expanded its operations from a primarily Washington D.C.-based firm to locations across North America, as well as in Europe, Asia, and Africa. He also diversified the company’s portfolio, which has resulted in the company on average doubling its revenue every five years for the past two decades. Kesavan also led the effort for ICF to become the first professional services firm in the world to achieve carbon neutral status in 2006.
Kesavan will remain active in advising organizations on governance and strategy issues. He currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors at ABM. He also sits on the board of trustees for the non-profit Inova Health System in Northern Virginia and the External Advisory Board of the Institute for Data, Systems and Society (IDSS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
With over 7,000 full – and part-time employees, ICF combines business analysts and policy specialists with digital strategists, data scientists and creatives.
-AK
