Jeff Clarke (businessman)

Jeff Clarke
BornJuly 1961 (age 65)
Ithaca, New York, U.S.
EducationSUNY Geneseo (BA)
Northeastern University (MBA)
OccupationBusiness executive
Years active1985–present
Known forCEO of Avaya, CEO of Kodak, executive chairman of FTD LLC
TitleChief executive officer of Avaya

Jeffrey J. Clarke (born July 1961 in Ithaca, New York)[1][2] is an American business executive who is chief executive officer of Avaya.[3][4] He previously served as chief executive officer of Insurity, Doxim, Eastman Kodak Company and Travelport, and as executive chairman and interim chief executive officer of FTD LLC.[5]

Early life and education

Clarke was born in Ithaca and grew up in Hamilton, New York.[2] He graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.[6][7] He earned a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern University in 1985.[8]

Career

Digital Equipment, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard and Computer Associates

Clarke began his career at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1985. During his time there, he held management positions in international operations, finance and manufacturing. He joined Compaq after it acquired DEC in 1998 and was appointed Compaq's chief financial officer in March 2001.[7][9]

After Hewlett-Packard acquired Compaq in 2002, Clarke became executive vice president of global operations at HP. He was responsible for the company's worldwide supply chain, manufacturing, procurement and internet operations, and co-led the integration of HP and Compaq. He left HP in November 2003.[7][10]

Clarke in 2005
Clarke as chief operating officer of Computer Associates in 2005

Clarke joined Computer Associates as chief financial officer in March 2004 and was named chief operating officer and chief financial officer the following month.[11] As chief operating officer, he was responsible for sales, services, distribution, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, information technology, and corporate strategy and planning. He remained at CA until 2006.[7]

Cendant and Travelport

In April 2006, Cendant named Clarke president and chief executive officer of its travel distribution services division, which was being separated from Cendant as Travelport.[12] Later that year, an affiliate of The Blackstone Group agreed to acquire Travelport for approximately US$4.3 billion.[13]

As Travelport's chief executive, Clarke reorganized its 21 constituent companies into three principal businesses: Galileo, Orbitz Worldwide and Gullivers Travel Associates.[14] Travelport agreed to acquire the reservation-system company Worldspan for US$1.4 billion in late 2006, with Clarke overseeing the integration planning.[15] He also led Orbitz Worldwide's initial public offering in July 2007 and served as chairman of Orbitz from 2007 to 2014.[16]

Clarke served as Travelport's chief executive until June 2011. He returned as chairman in February 2012 and held that position until May 2013, after which he remained a director and chaired its audit committee.[17]

Augusta Columbia Capital and Kodak

In 2012, Clarke co-founded Augusta Columbia Capital, a private investment firm focused on middle-market technology and technology-enabled companies, and became a managing partner.[18] On March 12, 2014, Eastman Kodak elected him chief executive officer and a member of its board, several months after the company had emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[18][19]

During Clarke's tenure, Kodak sought support from the motion-picture industry to continue manufacturing celluloid film. Directors including Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan and J. J. Abrams publicly supported continued production. In February 2015, Kodak finalized supply agreements with six major Hollywood studios for motion-picture film.[19][20]

Kodak reported net earnings of US$16 million for 2016, compared with a US$75 million loss in 2015, although annual revenue declined by 10 percent.[21] In November 2018, Kodak agreed to sell its Flexographic Packaging Division to Montagu Private Equity for as much as US$390 million, with proceeds intended to reduce debt.[22] Clarke stepped down as chief executive on February 20, 2019, after nearly five years in the role.[23]

FTD and E.Merge

Following the acquisition of FTD's consumer and florist businesses by an affiliate of Nexus Capital Management in August 2019, Clarke was named executive chairman of FTD LLC.[24] He also served as interim chief executive officer and remained executive chairman through 2020.[5][16]

From 2020 to 2022, Clarke was co-chief executive officer, chief financial officer and a director of E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company focused on software and internet technology businesses.[25] Its initial public offering raised approximately US$600 million.[26][25] E.Merge did not complete a business combination and announced that it would dissolve and liquidate effective September 4, 2022.[27]

Doxim, Insurity and Avaya

Doxim appointed Clarke interim chief executive officer on November 3, 2022.[28] He remained in that role until Mike Hennessy became chief executive in February 2024, when Clarke continued as executive chairman of Doxim.[29]

Clarke was named chief executive officer of Insurity in January 2025.[5] On June 30, 2026, Insurity appointed Jatin Atre to succeed him as chief executive, and Clarke continued with the company as executive chairman.[30]

On August 3, 2026, Avaya appointed Clarke chief executive officer. He succeeded Patrick Dennis, who became executive chairman.[3][4]

Board service and honors

Clarke served as chairman of Orbitz Worldwide from 2007 to 2014 and chairman of Travelport from 2012 to 2013. He has also served on the boards of Red Hat, Compuware, Autodesk and Docker.[16][8] He rejoined Travelport's board of directors in January 2024.[16]

Clarke has served on the Geneseo Foundation board of directors and delivered the address at SUNY Geneseo's 145th undergraduate commencement.[31] He joined Northeastern University's board of trustees in 2013 and continues to serve as a trustee.[8][32]

In 2015, AACSB International included Clarke in its Influential Leaders recognition program.[6] In May 2026, SUNY Geneseo awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, and he addressed the afternoon ceremony at the college's 160th commencement.[33]

References

  1. ↑ "Doxim Striata Limited people". Companies House. Government of the United Kingdom. Jeffrey James Clarke. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Gorbman, Randy (February 20, 2017). "Kodak CEO says the company is competitive and he's looking forward to growth". WXXI News. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Avaya Appoints Jeff Clarke as Chief Executive Officer; Patrick Dennis to Serve as Executive Chair" (Press release). Avaya. August 3, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  4. 1 2 ROI-NJ Staff (August 3, 2026). "Avaya names Clarke as CEO, appoints Dennis as executive chair". ROI-NJ. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Building on 30+ New Logo Wins in 2025, Insurity to Showcase Next Phase of $50 Million Product Investment, AI Innovation, and Customer Commitment at the Excellence in Insurance Conference" (Press release). Insurity. October 27, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via Business Wire.
  6. 1 2 "Jeffrey J. Clarke". AACSB International. 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013". Eastman Kodak Company. 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  8. 1 2 3 "Jeff Clarke". Northeastern University. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ Oppel, Richard A. Jr. (March 16, 2001). "Compaq to Cut 5,000 Jobs; Profit Forecast Is Lowered". The New York Times. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Former Compaq Exec Resigns from HP". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 26, 2003. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004". Computer Associates International. 2004. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  12. ↑ Chittum, Ryan (April 18, 2006). "Cendant Selects A Top CA Officer For Travel Business". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Sale of Travelport Affirms its Recognition as One of the World's Largest Networks of Travel Brands" (Press release). The Blackstone Group. June 30, 2006. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  14. ↑ Schaal, Dennis (October 1, 2006). "Travelport's new owner restructures company". Travel Weekly. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  15. ↑ Boehmer, Jay (January 21, 2007). "Travelport Cues Up Worldspan: One-On-One With CEO Jeff Clarke". Business Travel News. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Jeff Clarke". Travelport. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  17. ↑ May, Kevin (May 2, 2013). "Travelport gets a new chairman, picks up Zuji for distribution after Travelocity sale". PhocusWire. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  18. 1 2 Dickinson, Mike (March 12, 2014). "Eastman Kodak names new CEO". Rochester Business Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  19. 1 2 O'Leary, Madeline (August 4, 2014). "Martin Scorsese voices support for Kodak's continued film production". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  20. ↑ Hamedy, Saba (February 4, 2015). "Kodak reaches agreement with studios to help keep making movie film". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  21. ↑ Gorbman, Randy (March 7, 2017). "Kodak turns a profit in 2016". WXXI News. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  22. ↑ Gorbman, Randy; Dahlberg, Brett (November 12, 2018). "Kodak announces buyer for the Flexographic Packaging division". WXXI News. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  23. ↑ Gorbman, Randy (February 20, 2019). "Jeff Clarke exits CEO role at Kodak; Board Chairman Jim Continenza to take on those duties". WXXI News. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Nexus Capital Management Acquires FTD's Consumer and Florist Businesses" (Press release). FTD and Nexus Capital Management. August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via PR Newswire.
  25. 1 2 "E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp. prospectus". E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp. July 30, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  26. ↑ Schubarth, Cromwell (August 31, 2020). "Here's why former Kodak CEO raised $600M in a Silicon Valley 'blank check' IPO". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  27. ↑ "E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp. Announces Liquidation" (Press release). E.Merge Technology Acquisition Corp. August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via GlobeNewswire.
  28. ↑ "Doxim Announces CEO Transition; Jeff Clarke to Serve as Interim CEO" (Press release). Doxim. November 3, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via PRWeb.
  29. ↑ "Doxim Completes Strong Fiscal 2023 with Appointment of Mike Hennessy to CEO" (Press release). Doxim. February 16, 2024. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via PRWeb.
  30. ↑ "Insurity Appoints Jatin Atre as Chief Executive Officer" (Press release). Insurity. June 30, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Alumnus Jeff Clarke to Address 145th Undergraduate Commencement May 14". SUNY Geneseo. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Board of Trustees". Northeastern University. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  33. ↑ Rime, Robyn (May 21, 2026). "Way to Go, Class of 2026!". SUNY Geneseo. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
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