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New CEO For Blackbaud

A former executive for an electronic payments company will be the next chief executive officer of Blackbaud, Inc. Michael P. Gianoni has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the Charleston, S.C.-based software and fundraising firm, effective Jan. 13, 2014.

Anthony Boor, who has been interim president and CEO since Aug. 31, 2013, will continue in that role until Jan. 13, 2014, after which he will continue as chief financial officer and senior vice president, finance and administration.

Gianoni’s significant experience and expertise in software solutions and product development “make him the ideal candidate to lead Blackbaud during its next phase of growth,” said Andrew Leitch, chairman of Blackbaud’s board of directors, via a statement. Together with the rest of the management team, Gianoni will help “guide the company to further enhance innovation, simplify and strengthen our product portfolio, respond to the market demand for SaaS technology and improve operational excellence while delivering greater value to both our customers and shareholders,” he said.

The 52-year-old Gianoni most recently served as executive vice president and group president, financial institutions group at Fiserv, Inc., a financial services technology firm founded in 1984. Previously, he was president of the investment services division at the Brookfield, Wisc.-based company, responsible for product, technology, sales, finance, operations and strategy.

Gianoni joined Fiserv as part of its $4.4-billion acquisition in 2007 of CheckFree, a Norcross, Ga.-based company that provides electronic systems for online bill-paying and technology. He served as executive vice president and general manager of CheckFree Investment Services. He also spent 11 years at DST Systems, Inc., where he led various divisions focused on developing new platforms while ensuring stronger operational controls. Earlier in this career, Gianoni worked at Application Systems Group, Sequent Computer Systems, Wang Laboratories, U.S. Design Corporation and Canberra Industries.

Gianoni holds an associate degree in electrical engineering from Waterbury State Technical College, a bachelor’s degree with a business concentration from Charter Oak State College, and a master’s of business administration degree from the University of New Haven.

Gianoni succeeds Marc Chardon, who announced in January that he would be leaving the firm by the end of this year. He ultimately stepped down after a nearly eight-year tenure from November 2005 to August 2013 that saw a number of acquisitions that transformed the company.

Blackbaud acquired its biggest rival, Austin, Texas-based Convio, in 2012, for $275 million. Since 2006, Blackbaud has acquired at least five companies for about $430 million, with the most recent acquisition being its largest. During that time, it acquired Target Analytics, eTapestry and Campagne Associates, among others.

Founded in 1981, Blackbaud went public in 2004 and has approximately 2,800 employees worldwide.