Long-time SAS executive Jim Davis departs

Jim Davis, a high-ranking and highly visible executive at business software giant SAS, has departed to take a new role at Informatica, a privately-held California company that also offers Big Data software.

Davis, a 21-year SAS veteran, stepped down as SAS’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer on Monday. He had served in that capacity since 2001.

“Highly marketable people get job opportunities presented to them all the time,” said SAS spokeswoman Shannon Heath. “This was obviously an opportunity that he felt strongly about and we wish him the best in that and appreciate all of his contributions.”

Heath said that Davis has taken “a leadership position” at Informatica but didn’t have details about his new job. Officials at Informatica couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Informatica, whose software helps companies manage massive amounts of data, was acquired for $5.3 billion earlier this year by investors led by private equity firm Permira and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The company, which previously was publicly held and generated $1.05 billion in revenue in 2014, was under pressure from activist investor Elliott Management at the time.

Davis frequently served as SAS’s point man with the media, including discussing the company’s financial performance each year, and with others. For example, in September he was a keynote speaker at an event focused on the Internet of Things sponsored by WRAL TechWire.

“We are thankful for Jim’s service over the years,” co-founder and CEO Jim Goodnight said in a statement. “While we are sad to see him leave, change can also present opportunity. We have a deep bench of senior leadership who will have no trouble maintaining our momentum.”

Corporations, government agencies and others use SAS business intelligence and analytics software to analyze their operations and forecast trends. It generated $3.09 billion in revenue last year and has 13,945 employees worldwide, including 7,067 at its Cary headquarters.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Long-time SAS executive Jim Davis departs."