OBITUARY: Xerox CEO John Visentin Passes Away

06 July 2022: John Visentin, who became chief executive of Xerox in 2018 and was also the vice chairman, died of “complications from an ongoing illness,” at the age of 59, the company has said in a statement. He had sought to broaden the company’s offerings. As chief executive he had led Xerox through the pandemic at a time when demand for printed documents and ink waned. The statement did not say where he died. The company said that Steve Bandrowczak, the president and chief operating officer at Xerox, will serve as its interim chief executive.

“John’s vision was clear, and the Xerox team will continue fulfilling it – not only to deliver on our commitments to our shareholders, customers and partners, but also to pursue John’s legacy,” Bandrowczak said in a statement. Before occupying the top position at Xerox, Visentin was steeped in the world of technology and business: He worked as an adviser to the chairman at Exela Technologies, an automation company, and was an operating partner for Advent International, a private equity firm.

After joining Xerox, he sought to broaden the company’s offerings. For years, Xerox had been known as a hub for office technology, especially its xerographic copier, or Xerox machine a ubiquitous, bulky product that commercialized the process of making photographic copies onto paper.

Visentin turned more attention “to digital and I.T. services, financial services and disruptive technologies,” James Nelson, the chairman of Xerox’s board of directors, said in a statement. Under Mr. Visentin’s helm, the company also tried to make inroads in 3-D printing.

His selection as chief executive in 2018 was preceded by Xerox’s decision to call off its merger deal with Fujifilm of Japan, after reaching a settlement with a shareholder activist and another major investor who sharply opposed the deal.