Barak Eilam has confirmed the end of his tenure as NICE CEO.
In stepping down, Eilam calls time on a NICE career that has spanned over 25 years and seven different roles.
Originally announced back in May 2024, the former CEO officially vacated his position on the 31st of December 2024.
Following this, he took to LinkedIn to share the image above and opine on his time with the company, labeling the decision to join NICE in April of 1999 as the best of his life.
Having started as a QA engineer “working in the parking lot basement”, Eilam wrote with pride about becoming CEO – outlining some of the achievements of his 10+ year reign.
Under his leadership, NICE became a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, increased its total addressable market fivefold, tripled its revenue to the tune of almost $3 billion, and grew profitability fourfold.
However, among the financial and business successes, Eilam was also keen to highlight the “unwavering commitment” and “collective brilliance” of the people he worked with, describing his colleagues as his “second family.”
While he did describe the choice to step down as”one of the hardest” of his life, he was full of praise for new CEO Scott Russell and the future of the company.
“To my fellow 9,000 NICErs: keep pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, and striving for greatness,” he wrote.
To our customers, partners, shareholders and board of directors: Thank you for trusting us on this journey.
“As I turn the page to the next chapter of my life, I’ll keep cheering from the sidelines as a proud NICEr. Thank you for the unforgettable memories, the laughter, the late nights, and the shared victories.”
Barak Eilam’s Long CCaaS-Shaped Shadow
Outside of the specific statistical improvements ushered in under Eilam’s leadership, the former CEO can also be considered chiefly responsible for transforming NICE from a workforce optimization (WFO) software provider to a leader in the CCaaS market.
Indeed, Eilam was instrumental to the company’s 2016 acquisition of inContact – a deal often touted as one of the most successful in CX history – which led to the launch of NICE CXone.
The CCaaS platform is now NICE’s flagship offering. It boasts over one million users, driving substantial business growth and a remarkable increase in market capitalization, rising from $2.37BN in 2014 to $14.38BN today.
Since ramping up its CCaaS ambitions, NICE has frequently impressed analysts, having been named as a Leader in the most recent Gartner Magic Quadrant and Forrester Wave reports for CCaaS.
Yet, under Eilam’s stewardship, NICE has also continued to lead the workforce engagement management (WEM) software category, the next evolution of WFO, and has expanded its influence in the robotic process automation (RPA) and fraud management spaces.
How Russell May Fill Eilam’s Big Boots
As Eilam bids NICE a fond farewell, Russell takes over as CEO.
Russell joins having spent 14 years at SAP, most recently as Global Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Board member. He has also spent time at IBM and PwC.
Alongside his significant expertise and experience, Russell may be able to offer a fresh perspective to the CCaaS space, which is often dominated by executives from established players.
Recognizing this, Liz Miller, VP and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, is enthusiastic about the appointment. She said:
While he may not have a CCaaS background, his expertise in customer experience technologies positions him well to expand NICE’s influence beyond traditional contact center buyers and into CIO-level conversations.
Indeed, while its CX record may have been spotty, SAP does excel at leveraging its extensive install base to drive sales of cloud solutions, analytics, and its broader ecosystem – a skill that could prove invaluable at NICE.
For Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research, Russell’s experience outside of CCaaS is precisely why he believes his appointment to be a good move for NICE:
We’ve seen this shift already in how NICE engages with CIOs. They’re not just selling CCaaS anymore; they’re aligning with broader enterprise goals, which is a smart move.
Kerravala and Miller shared these takes when discussing NICE and several market competitors in the following CX Today video: 10 CCaaS Providers to Watch Out for in 2025
