Michael R. Bloomberg, the founder of financial data giant Bloomberg LP, announced a new CEO and a new president on Monday, in a possible sign of who will take over when he steps away from the company.
Mr. Bloomberg, 81, also announced plans to appoint a new board of directors to direct the business, a provider of data terminals that brings in more than $12 billion in revenue annually.
Vlad Klyachko, 54, Bloomberg’s chief product officer, has been named CEO of the company, Mr. Bloomberg said in a note to employees Monday. Jean-Paul Zammit, 55, formerly chief commercial officer at Bloomberg, has been named president.
Mr. Bloomberg said in his note that he has no plans to step down anytime soon, noting that he has not taken on any new title. Neither Mr. Zammit nor Mr. Klyachko replaces anyone in the company; Dan Doctoroff, the last CEO at Bloomberg, resigned in 2014.
“I’m sure these changes raise questions for me, so let me put them at ease: I’m not going anywhere,” Mr. Bloomberg wrote. He added, “I’ve never used a nickname in the company, so I’m not going to change what I’ll be called — just ‘Mike.'”
Mr. Bloomberg made his fortune creating data terminals and a media empire that controls financial professionals around the world. He was also deeply involved in politics, including serving as mayor of New York for three terms.
The company employs more than 23,000 people worldwide. Among them are about 2,700 journalists, making it one of the largest global news organizations, although the media division makes up a small part of the company’s total revenue.
Mr. Bloomberg has been cautious about the question of his succession in the past. Bloomberg spokesperson Tell The Financial Times reported this year that Mr. Bloomberg frequently asked his top executives if they had more than one successor, adding that he had undisclosed succession plans for himself.
A Bloomberg spokesperson on Monday declined to comment on Mr. Bloomberg’s succession plans. The company said Mr. Bloomberg intends to relinquish the company to his philanthropic arm when he dies, if not sooner.
Traffic lights mentioned Earlier on the leadership changes.