Executive search firm Valent Mordan Inc. appointed John Valenti as the firm’s first CEO, effective March 20. Valenti is one of the founding partners of Valent Mordan and most recently served as managing partner.

Prior to Valent Mordan, Valenti spent 17 years as a partner with Kenexa Corp., a Wayne, Penn.-based talent acquisition and management software and services firm. During that time, he led business units and oversaw the integration of several acquisitions. IBM acquired Kenexa in 2012 in a transaction valued at $1.3 billion.

“Our company growth has created the need for a new organizational structure to accommodate our plans for growth and expansion,” said President and co-founder Michael Mordan. “This starts with a CEO. We are excited to have a proven winner, with a great track-record of success in the human capital management space.”

Valent Mordan, launched in 2015, provides executive search and permanent placement across all verticals. It has two offices — headquarters in Dallas and operations out of Philadelphia — and 13 employees.