Veteran business leader Felice Gorordo has been named chief executive officer of Dallas-based Embark, a management and financial consulting firm with nearly 600 employees across 18 U.S. offices.

Gorordo succeeds Clancy Fossum, who will remain a shareholder and assist with the transition through the end of the quarter before pursuing new opportunities, the company said.

Founder endorses new chapter

“Felice is a seasoned leader with valuable experience in leading large organizations and shares the Embark mission: to take incredible care of our people and help us deliver great work for our clients,” Embark founder and Chairman Paul Allen said in a statement.

Allen added that Gorordo’s background positions him to steer Embark into its next phase: “Felice’s strong background in technology and private equity will help drive the next era of growth and innovation at Embark.”

Allen also credited outgoing CEO Fossum for his role in building the firm over the past decade.

“Under Clancy’s leadership, Embark has achieved previously unimaginable milestones over the last ten years,” Allen said.  “We are forever grateful for the transformative impact he has made on Embark and the lives of our people.”

From the World Bank to venture-backed startups

Gorordo brings more than two decades of leadership experience across management, governance, and venture-backed startups. He has served as CEO of three tech companies, an executive director at the World Bank Group, and a venture investor with global mandates in healthcare and infrastructure.

Most recently, he served on the board of the World Bank Group as the U.S. alternate executive director, helping to oversee roughly $130 billion in annual investments.

Prior roles include CEO of eMerge Americas, a platform focused on innovation and entrepreneurship across the Americas; venture partner at global infrastructure fund I Squared Capital; and CEO of Clearpath, a tech company streamlining the immigration filing process. He also served as global director at the venture fund StartUp Health, according to Embark.

Gorordo: Culture and purpose were the draw

Gorordo said he was drawn to Embark by its values as well as its track record.

“I was first drawn to Embark’s purpose-driven team and how its people-centric culture translates into delivering the highest quality service,” he said in a statement. “I am incredibly honored… to join the Embark team, build upon the great legacy of Paul Allen and Clancy Fossum, and lead the company through this next era of growth and innovation.”

Embark has grown rapidly in recent years, the company said, scaling tenfold over the last four years alone.

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