Former CCH Head Sabbatis Joins XCM Board

Mike Sabbatis, the former president and chief executive of CCH Tax and Accounting, North America, has joined the board of cloud-based workflow automation service XCM Solutions.

The move comes nearly eight months after Sabbatis stepped down from the CCH business unit, making way for Karen Abramson.

In the interim he said he has been working with the profession on “consulting, strategic planning and acquisition work,” but this move brings him closer to a company he has “long respected” and wants to help grow, starting with brand awareness.

“I’ve talked to a lot of different companies and people over the years, but I wanted to expand the type of work that I did so I can work with a company like XCM and fulfill a strategic role for them,” said Sabbatis. “I think brand recognition is one of their biggest challenges. They aren’t a household name yet, but if you look at the technology and scalabilit, it’s all there. I know I bring the ability to help increase brand awareness. We will address these issues through strategic planning, but right now XCM has the tools, technology and best practices for all firms.”

XCM founder and chief executive Mark Albrecht said official conversations with Sabbatis came about when the company’s president, Glen Keenan, was on a layover in the Dallas airport. He phoned Sabbatis, who resides in the area, and met up to discuss some possibilities of working together.

“I think Mike wanted to keep his hands in the industry, and we need what he brings to the table, which given the growth we are seeing in the company and our plans for the future, is great timing,” said Albrecht. “We’ve been business partners and competitors, and I used his products for years when I was in practice, so it’s been an easy relationship. We are morphing from a software development company to a sales and marketing company, so now we have to not just concentrate on top firms, but on those that are smaller and need our solutions. Mike will help us understand how to reach them. That’s first and foremost for us.”

Sabbatis’s appointment to XCM’s board is the latest in a series of recent high-level moves over the past year. Late last year, XCM hired former Fujitsu Computer Products business development manager Kim Hogan as its director of West Coast operations, and earlier this year former Fuoco Grop director of operations Joe Manzelli joined the company as a leader in its Outsourced Workflow division.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Career moves
MORE FROM ACCOUNTING TODAY