Xerox CEO John Visentin dies unexpectedly at 59.
John Visentin, the tech executive who took the CEO job at Xerox four years ago, died unexpectedly on Tuesday “due to complications from an ongoing illness,” the company said. He was 59.
Xerox didn’t disclose where Visentin died or what illness caused his death. Xerox President Steve Bandrowczak has been named interim CEO.
“John’s vision was clear, and the Xerox team will continue fulfilling it,” Bandrowczak said in a statement.
James Nelson, Xerox’s board chair, said in a statement that Visentin moved the company forward by keeping Xerox’s printing business alive while also offering new digital and IT-focused services to clients.
What happened to John Visentin
John Visentin Death Autopsy Report
Visentin held management positions at Hewlett Packard and IBM before joining Xerox. He was also the former CEO of IT consultancy Exela Technologies, according to his LinkedIn page. Visentin leaves behind a wife and five daughters.
“We are all greatly saddened by this tragic news and are keeping his family at the forefront of our thoughts in this difficult time,” Bandrowczak said.
Xerox CEO John Visentin dies unexpectedly following complications from an ongoing illness, company says
Printer maker Xerox Holdings said on Wednesday Chief Executive Officer John Visentin, 59, has died due to complications from an ongoing illness.
Xerox called Visentin’s death unexpected and said it has named Steve Bandrowczak, president and chief operations officer, as interim CEO.
Visentin, who was also the vice chairman, joined Xerox as its CEO in May 2018 after he was nominated by Carl Icahn. The activist investor’s firm is the biggest shareholder of the company, according to Refinitiv data.
Prior to that, Visentin had been hired as a consultant by Icahn to assist in his campaign against Xerox, when he pushed the company to explore strategic alternatives.
Visentin was also at the helm of the company when it failed at its $35 billion hostile takeover attempt of HP, a merger that Icahn had pushed for in 2020.
In the same year, Xerox, which has been facing a slowdown in demand as businesses cut down on printing their paperwork, laid out a three-year cost-cutting plan under Visentin.