Debora Jones Named as Chief Operating Officer and Dr. Kavitha Thangasami Promoted to Role of Chief R&D Officer
Exterro Inc., the preferred provider of Legal GRC software specifically designed for in-house legal, privacy, and IT teams at Global 2000 and AmLaw 200 organizations, today announced the appointment of two new executives to its leadership team: Debora Jones as Chief Operating Officer and Dr. Kavitha Thangasami as Chief R&D Officer. The two appointments come at a time of rapid growth and momentum for Exterro, as the company has driven record revenue and customer growth over the past fiscal year.
As COO, Jones will be a key member of the management team responsible for overseeing the company’s client operations. A seasoned executive with nearly 20 years of operational experience and a proven track record of growing revenue and improving margins, Jones has created engaging workplace cultures and built lasting relationships with clients and partners. Prior to Exterro, Jones spent 13 years at Lighthouse Global, a leader in technology-enabled e-discovery, compliance, and information governance services, where she led various functions including client and technical operations, client onboarding, and go to market strategies. Jones holds a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University Law School, in Washington, D.C., receiving honors as a Thurgood Marshall Scholar.
Dr. Kavitha Thangasami, who has served as VP of Talent Management and Chief Data Scientist at Exterro for the past 9 years, has been promoted to Chief R&D Officer where she will oversee all facets of the company’s growing R&D operations including software development, technical support, recruiting, and corporate management. With more than a decade of applied research experience in distributed data sciences and doctoral degrees in computer science and engineering, Dr. Thangasami will direct Exterro’s Big Data strategy along with the development of its next generation predictive and prescriptive analytics tools. In addition to her doctoral degrees, she also has earned a master’s degree in business administration.
“Innovation can only happen if people are given the space and freedom to experiment and test the limits of their creativity,” said Bobby Balachandran, CEO of Exterro. “This is the type of ethos that we have worked hard to cultivate since Exterro was first founded and has been essential in helping us attract and retain world-class talent across our organization. We are thrilled to expand our leadership team with Dr. Thangasami’s promotion and Ms. Jones’ addition as we work to blaze new trails in the Legal GRC market.”
In addition to these two appointments, Exterro also announced that Alice Lawrence, who has served as the company’s Chief Customer Officer since 2019, will be officially retiring from this role so she can focus on leading the Exterro Gives Back initiative, the company’s philanthropic arm that supports a variety of non-profit organization both in the U.S. and abroad. With employee donation matching and paid time off for volunteer activities, Exterro is dedicated to giving back to communities wherever its team members live.
