Convergys leader to retire

James Orr will retire at the end of the year after serving as Convergys' first and only chief executive officer since his appointment in 1998. Current Chief Operating Officer David Dougherty will take over as president and CEO April 17 at the company’s annual meeting of shareholders.

Orr will remain as Chairman of the Board of Directors until his retirement on Dec. 31, 2007, a post he has held since 2000.

The shareholders meeting marks the ninth anniversary of Cincinnati Bell Information Systems’ (CBIS) and Matrixx Marketing’s formation as Convergys, a subsidiary of Cincinnati Bell.

Orr joined Cincinnati Bell in 1988 after more than 20 years at Procter & Gamble, and in 1996 was appointed COO and given a seat on the board. He ran each of the businesses that now make up Convergys. The company spun off from Cincinnati Bell in 1998, became a public company and named Orr as its first CEO.

The company’s operating income in 1998 was approximately $1.4 billion. Today it generates $2.8 billion per year. Under Orr the company expanded internationally, diversified its product portfolio, which helped it survive and thrive during the downturn in 2001 and the ongoing consolidation of its original customer base: Tier 1 service providers.

Dougherty has been at Orr’s side the whole way. He joined the Matrixx Marketing subsidiary in 1990, and in 1995 became its President and CEO. He was appointed president of Convergys' Customer Management business when Convergys was formed in 1998. During his career at Convergys, he, too, has had responsibility for each of the company's businesses. He was appointed president and COO of Convergys in September 2005, and became a member of the Board of Directors in August 2006.