OpenText announced its board has appointed Ayman Antoun as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board, effective April 20, 2026, positioning the veteran technology executive to lead the company’s next phase of cloud modernization and enterprise AI-focused growth.
Antoun brings more than three decades of operating and transformation experience across global technology organizations. OpenText highlighted his tenure at IBM, where he most recently served as President of IBM Americas from 2020 to 2023, overseeing the company’s largest regional business across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. OpenText said his leadership at IBM included driving advancements spanning cloud, infrastructure, cybersecurity, cognitive solutions, and digital modernization. Antoun also previously served as President of IBM Canada and General Manager, Global Technology Services, and spent time in telecom as Senior Vice President of Business Market Sales at Bell Canada from 2013 to 2015.
Antoun will succeed James McGourlay, who has been serving as interim CEO. OpenText said McGourlay will remain in the interim role through the transition and then move into a role within the company’s Executive Leadership Team. The company also said P. Thomas Jenkins, currently Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, will return to the role of Chair of the Board following the CEO transition.
OpenText’s board described the appointment as the outcome of a thorough CEO search process aligned to the company’s strategy and leadership needs, emphasizing Antoun’s experience with large-scale modernization efforts and his relationships across public and private sectors. Antoun, in comments released by the company, pointed to OpenText’s product portfolio and global client base as advantages as organizations place greater importance on trusted data for AI and business operations.
Antoun holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Executive program in financial analysis, business management and strategic planning. He currently serves on the boards of TD Bank and CAE.
KEY QUOTES
“The Board is very pleased to welcome Ayman to OpenText, and as we look ahead to the Company’s future, the Board believes that he is the best leader to drive shareholder value by growing revenue in our core Enterprise Information Management for training Agentic AI business. Ayman’s deep enterprise technology and software expertise and decades of leading large-scale global transformations will be a catalyst for OpenText’s next phase of growth.”
“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank James for his steadfast leadership as Interim CEO and for the strong results we are realizing by his commitment to our clients. I look forward to welcoming Ayman back home to Kitchener-Waterloo, where he grew up and went to school at the University of Waterloo, and to work with him, our Board and Executive Leadership Team as OpenText continues to advance its strategy.”
P. Thomas Jenkins, Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, OpenText
“The Board’s CEO Search Committee conducted a thorough CEO search, assessing a strong and diverse slate of global candidates against the Company’s strategic direction to identify the right leadership fit. We were impressed by Ayman’s experience leading major technology organizations, particularly in cloud and digital modernization, along with strong international relationships across public and private sectors. It became clear in our conversations with Ayman that he is uniquely positioned to advance the Company’s leadership in enterprise AI during our pivotal phase of growth.”
David Fraser, Lead Independent Director, OpenText, and Co-Chair of the CEO Search Committee
“OpenText’s core product portfolio, which is the foundation for training agentic AI, combined with its worldwide client base offers the company a competitive advantage as trusted data is now essential to how economies, nations and businesses operate around the world. I am energized by the opportunity to lead OpenText into its next chapter and look forward to working with the Board and leadership team to accelerate the Company’s growth strategy and deliver long-term shareholder value.”
Ayman Antoun, incoming Chief Executive Officer, OpenText
