IRI Hires Finance and HR Leaders

IRI has appointed Mike Eklund as CFO and Evan Swidler as Chief Human Resources Officer, with both replacing interim leaders.

Eklund (pictured left) joins from orthopedic company DJO Global where he was COO and CFO, leading its successful move earlier this year from asset management firm the Blackstone Group to a publicly traded strategic buyer. Before this he spent twenty years at Dell Technologies, most recently as SVP at Dell/EMC, leading the Value Creation and Integration function for the $67 billion merger. He also served as CFO of the group's Client Solutions Business Unit and Global Operations organization; as VP of Strategy, Business Planning and Operations for its Enterprise Solutions Group; and spent three years based in the UK as Finance Director for its Emerging Markets business. Early in his career he worked as a staff accountant in tax and audit, then in the oil and gas industry in staff accounting and finance roles.

He succeeds acting CFO Brian Coderre who will continue to serve as IRI's North American CFO.

President and CEO Andrew Appel says of the new arrival: 'With his broad base of experience and relentless drive and enthusiasm, Mike is the right fit to lead IRI's financial operations as we continue to grow our business. We are pleased to welcome him to the team and look forward to leveraging his decades of financial experience at global, technology-driven institutions'.


Swidler (right) will oversee global HR efforts, talent and performance management, organizational change, staffing, benefits and compensation. He joins from ATI Physical Therapy where he was also CHRO, and before this spent nearly five years at The Nielsen Company, in roles including CHRO for North and South America, Europe and the Pacific. Earlier in his career he worked for a dozen years in the management consulting practice at Accenture, with a focus on process, technology and talent transformation in consumer goods and retail.

Swidler succeeds interim CHRO Susan Bennett, who will remain the firm's Chief Legal Counsel, and will work with Swidler on enhancing IRI's diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Appel comments: 'Evan has extensive global experience in nearly every aspect of the human resources function and will bring to IRI his proven track record for recruiting and developing high-potential talent, which is critical to our continued growth and success'.

Web site: www.iriworldwide.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.