CEO John Clendening has resigned from Blucora, parent of TaxAct and Avantax Wealth Management, the company announced this month. Blucora’s official statement was “The departure resulted from differences in views on the scope of Mr. Clendening’s authority as CEO.”
Blucora said there was no disagreements about financial results or operations, with Clendening, who had been CEO since April 2016. The company anticipates hiring a new CEO by the end of this month
Blucora has established an interim Office of the CEO, comprised of members of the executive leadership team, which will report to an Oversight Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors. The members are Enrique Vasquez, Curtis Campbell, Todd Mackay and Ann Bruder. The leaders of Avantax and TaxAct, Vazquez and compbell, will continue in those positions.
Mackay will oversee the closing of the acquisition HK Financial Services, along with spearheading operational improvements of Avantax Wealth Management and continue to lead business operations, while Bruder will oversee certain administrative and staff functions.
Avantax was formed last year through the combination of the former HD Vest and 1st. Global businesses.
Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards. Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind