OpenText removes CEO Barrenechea, to shed non-core assets

OpenText has removed Mark Barrenechea from his roles as CEO, Chief Technology Officer, and vice chairman of the board, effective immediately. The board has appointed James McGourlay, Executive Vice President of International Sales and a 28-year veteran of the company, as interim CEO.

In a statement, the Waterloo, Ontario-based cloud, AI, and cybersecurity vendor said it is working with financial advisors to sharpen its focus on its core Information Management for AI business and exit certain non-core assets.

Barrenechea, who joined OpenText in 2012, played a pivotal role in transforming the company into a major managed service provider and enterprise software player, leading high-profile acquisitions such as Carbonite (2019), Zix (2021), MicroFocus (2023), and the Pillr MDR platform from Novacoast (2024).

His exit comes as OpenText seeks to strengthen its cybersecurity portfolio and deepen ties with MSPs. In March, the company named Mike DePalma — an MSP veteran from Datto and Kaseya — as vice president of business development. DePalma was recently recognized as the No. 1 Disrupter on CRN’s 2025 Top Executives list for his work in helping solution providers tap into growing cybersecurity opportunities.

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