Elena Donio
Elena Donio. (Via Twitter)

A day after it was announced that Elena Donio was stepping down as president of Concur, the technology executive has landed a new gig as CEO of Axiom, a New York-based company that is looking to transform the legal industry.

“I love the idea of being disruptive in a space that is enormous and hits a mission-critical nerve in most businesses,” Donio told GeekWire. “I’m joining a fantastic team with a culture and set of values that feel really natural to me.”

Donio will also join the board of directors of Axiom, which is privately held and had previously been led by co-founder Mark Harris. The company employs more than 2,000, including hundreds of lawyers who work on legal projects on behalf of large Fortune 500 companies. In 2012, Harris told The New York Times that the legal profession was ready for a disruptive force, since “the interests of law firms went from serving the clients to serving themselves.”

Donio’s first day on the job is Nov. 30. She said she’ll be commuting across Axiom locations for the first year before determining the best location for her family.

Her departure from Bellevue-based Concur after 18 years follows the company’s $8.3 billion sale to SAP in 2014. Concur co-founders Raj Singh and Mike Hilton left the company last year to take leadership roles at health services company Accolade.

Concur veteran Mike Eberhard was named Donio’s replacement yesterday, and Donio said she was thankful of her time at the leader in travel and entertainment expense managment software.

“Concur is in such great hands with Mike — he’s an amazing leader and a dear friend,” Donio told GeekWire. “I’m so grateful for my time there; for Steve, the leadership teams within Concur and SAP, and the entire employee community.  I can’t imagine a better place to have grown up personally and professionally and I’ll be watching as they continue to grow and thrive.”

Here’s the full press release about Donio’s appointment:

NEW YORK —(BUSINESS WIRE) — Axiom, a leading provider of technology-enabled legal and contracting services, today announced a significant expansion of its senior leadership team. Mark Harris, who co-founded the firm 16 years ago and has served as its CEO ever since, will move into the role of Executive Chairman. Elena Donio, a respected technology executive, will join Axiom as its next CEO and join the company’s Board of Directors, effective November 30. Together, Harris and Donio will partner to spearhead ambitious growth and the amplification of the firm’s mission to modernize the delivery of legal services.

Donio’s appointment adds significant strength at the helm of a company that has already logged a remarkable growth trajectory. With a 45% CAGR since inception and 25% year-over-year growth, Axiom’s revenue run rate is now just north of $300 million. The company employs over 2,000 teammates – lawyers, legal professionals, process engineers and technologists, among others – and, collectively, the Axiom team serves over half the Fortune 100 across 15 regions and 3 centers of excellence, globally.

“While our team should feel great about all that we’ve accomplished in our first sixteen years, we are – today – a fraction of what we aspire to be. We have so much more to do,” said Harris. “That ‘more’ is both building a great company and working with our clients to help change an industry. Having Elena join and lead the broader team will accelerate all that is good about Axiom, and help us get better in ways we can improve.”

Donio most recently served as President of Concur, an SAP company and the world’s leading provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions.

“I am thrilled and humbled to be joining Axiom,” said Donio. “I’ve become an eager student of the legal industry and still have much to learn, but I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to help our lawyers and our clients discover new and better ways to work. And, I cannot wait to help lead a company where some of the very best years are ahead, where disruption is the expectation, and where I get to work with the best and brightest.”

Continued Harris, “Elena is experienced in the journey ahead – she’s traveled the road from a few hundred million in sales to over a billion, she has a deep appreciation for how technology can improve the business processes of large companies, and she’s done all of that while rising to the requirements of public-company management. But most importantly, Elena is a model of Axiom values – she’s gritty, passionate, authentic and accountable.”

In his role as Executive Chairman, Harris will support Donio and the leadership team, while engaging in a portfolio of work that will inform on and help navigate the company’s long-term plans. Harris will continue to have an engaged, visible, and critical role within the Axiom team and among clients.

“I’m really excited by the prospect of working closely with Mark,” said Donio. “That opportunity helped solidify that Axiom was the right next home for me, and I’m excited to learn from someone who is uniquely passionate about this company and its culture, while concurrently devoted to affecting broader change within the industry.”

The announcement is an important milestone for Axiom. Axiom has long been heralded as an industry innovator, as it was the first firm to meaningfully challenge the incumbent model of legal delivery.

About Axiom

Axiom, a recognized leader in the business of law, provides tech-enabled legal, contracts, and compliance solutions for large enterprises. Axiom’s solutions combine legal experience, technology, and data analytics to deliver work in a way that dramatically reduces risk, cost and cycle-time. The firm comprises 2,000 lawyers, professionals, process engineers and technologists who serve over half the Fortune 100 across 15 regions and 3 centers of excellence globally. www.axiomlaw.com

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