Relativity Welcomes Phil Saunders as CEO

Global News

18
Nov
2022

Editor

Relativity, a global legal and compliance technology company, today announced the appointment of Phil Saunders as CEO. Saunders has more than three decades of operating experience in the technology industry, most recently as CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand, the pioneer and global leader in talent experience software-as-a-service (SaaS).

Saunders succeeds Mike Gamson, who departs after five years as a board member and three years as CEO. During Gamson’s tenure, Relativity achieved significant growth, accelerated industry cloud and AI adoption via the RelativityOne product, expanded geographically, cultivated a talent-first culture, and meaningfully developed the company’s social impact programs.  

Saunders will assume the chief executive role effective Dec. 12, with Gamson also staying through year-end to ensure a seamless transition.  

Saunders brings significant expertise in sectors germane to Relativity including enterprise SaaS, as CEO of both Cornerstone OnDemand and Saba Software; infrastructure technology, in roles at Oracle and Motorola; and cybersecurity, as an executive at SafeNet and Thales (formerly Gemalto). He is a dynamic leader with an intense focus on the needs of enterprise software customers and end users. At Cornerstone, he successfully grew the company, developed the product suite, and increased customer retention. Saunders served on Cornerstone’s public company Board of Directors while CEO and currently is a Board Director of Vertex, the Nasdaq-listed global leader in tax compliance software solutions.  

“The Relativity Board and I thank Mike for his many contributions to the company’s evolution over the years,” said Andrew Sieja, Relativity’s Founder. “We are excited to welcome Phil, whose enthusiasm and track record of operational excellence at scale within enterprise SaaS position him well to lead our company and deliver an amazing offering for our customers and partners.” 

“I’m deeply grateful to have worked with the incredibly talented, passionate people within Relativity and across its vibrant community,” said Gamson. “I’ve been truly inspired by how this community has grown and come together to tackle today’s most complex data challenges. I know Phil shares this same excitement for Relativity as it delivers on its mission to empower customers to organize data, discover the truth, and act on it.”  

“Relativity is a rare company with both exceptional industry leadership and significant opportunities ahead,” said Saunders. “RelativityOne is already the market leader in its category with so much potential to continue to innovate in e-discovery, digital investigations, and beyond. I’m excited to work with Relativity’s employees and its ecosystem to deliver compelling technology solutions for the legal and compliance sectors.” 

Silver Lake, Iconiq and Relativity’s founder Andrew Sieja remain equity partners in the business, with each maintaining its existing board representation. Saunders will replace Gamson on the board, with Gamson remaining as a shareholder in the company.