Patrick O’Donnell has joined Kantata as its new Chief Revenue Officer. He replaces JD Miller, who left in within the last few months.
O’Donnell will now lead Kantata’s global sales function. He will play a critical role in scaling the firm’s go-to-market efforts. However, responsibility for marketing will be retained by Jeff Nicholson, CMO. Ed Lane (interim CRO) will continue to operate as Sr. Vice President of Global Sales and report to O’Donnell.
Michael Speranza, CEO at Kantata, commented, “Patrick’s arrival comes at a time when Kantata is poised to scale in a big way. We’ve laid an incredibly strong foundation, and we’re seeing real momentum in how we help clients challenge the status quo and adopt new ways of working. Patrick brings the leadership, energy, and executional excellence we need to double down on that success and take it to the next level.”
Kantata has had significant success over the last year, with Box, implementing Kantata SX last year. It also launched an innovative project sentiment tool, Kantata Pulse.
There is a huge opportunity for Kantata in the professional services market. Mordor Intelligence estimated that the market size is estimated at $15.42 billion in 2025 and will grow at an impressive 31.10% to $59.71 billion by 2030.
Research by Kantata confirms this growth with 46.5% of professional services organizations have prioritized upgrading their core operational systems this year. Furthermore, 82% of decision-makers are ready to invest heavily in the right technology. With two solutions available within the Kantata portfolio, Kantata OX (formerly Mavenlink) and Kantata SX (formerly Kimble Applications), firms can be sure that the Kantata team will provide the right-sized solution for their business.
Who is Patrick O’Donnell
O’Donnell joined from Board International, where he was Chief Sales Officer. He helped Board International achieve a leadership position in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Financial Planning software for two years in a row. He led the global sales organisation there across seven countries, driving significant growth, though figures are not publicly available.
O’Donnell has over a decade in sales leadership positions. Spending 8 years at Actifio, where he was responsible for Sales teams in APAC, Europe and the US. His international experience will be useful at Kantata, which has a strong presence in the UK and the US, as well as customers in other countries. He also held sales leadership positions at CDS and Jedox, so he has experience in the SaaS industry.
Patrick O’Donnell, Chief Revenue Officer at Kantata, stated, “Kantata is addressing a real and urgent need in the market. Professional services organizations are at a turning point, and they’re looking for more than just software — they want a partner that understands their business and can help them unlock new levels of performance.
“Kantata’s vision, product strength, and sales strategy are already delivering meaningful outcomes for clients, and I’m thrilled to help accelerate that momentum.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean?
This is the fourth C-Suite appointment that Kantata has announced since October last year. Speranza has a mix of new and old on his leadership team. Therefore 2025 will be an important year for Kantata and its CEO as he looks to grow the company. O’Donnell will also need to hit the ground running, as Kantata has already completed its sales kick-off meeting. It will be interesting to see what he brings and the changes he makes to the firm’s sales efforts.
