The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Chief Officer Awards were announced March 28, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person May 10.
Next is Burton White, CEO of Excella, and finalist in the Private Company CEO (annual revenue greater than $20 million and less than $100 million) category. Here, he shares key achievements, focus areas going forward, career advice and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2023?
Our priority is to create impact for clients and exceptional careers for Excellians. 2023 was a great year for client impact and growing Excellian careers. For example, our team helped the United States Office of Personnel Management use its wealth of data to create digital solutions that move the federal workforce forward. We applied our expertise in data engineering, data visualization, AI/ML and UX design to help OPM improve the HR user experience of federal employees across the country. We’ve also helped the Department of Health and Human Services combat fraud, waste and abuse and are working with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to make its immigration systems more efficient and effective. For Excella, all this hard work and success helped us increase our revenue by 30% and grow our talented workforce.
I’m proud of the strong culture we have continued to build as a company and the employee growth we have seen as a result. Over the past two years, Excella has more than doubled in size, and in 2023 grew to over 300 employees across the country, reaching our largest consultant base in history. We look forward to continuing our strong growth trajectory in 2024!
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the mission?
A core part of Excella’s approach is helping our clients adapt to the ever-changing technology landscape. One of our primary focus areas in 2024 is bringing the power of generative AI to our clients. We see this as a huge transformation in technology that will bring massive productivity gains to our clients, and we’re looking forward to helping lead them through the transformation. It’s also a phenomenal opportunity for Excellians to gain new skills in leading edge tech.
We’re also keenly focused on Google’s DevOps Research and Assessment which we see as an accelerator for technology and organization transformations. DORA helps us better understand the capabilities that drive software delivery and operations performance. We can then apply that to helping clients achieve the organizational efficiency they are all seeking from tech implementations.
What is your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
My best advice for those who want to follow in my footsteps is, “Don’t follow in my footsteps.” Run your own race, chart your own course, be your own person. The best path to success is knowing who you really are, what you really want, and what you really love to do. Then find your unique, authentic path to get there. Following in someone else’s footsteps might work, but only if you happen to be a lot like them and want what they want. Be you!
Fun Fact: What is something about you that most people do not know?
I am a self-taught mixologist. I love a good classic cocktail. I especially love making them for my friends and family. My favorite spring cocktail is a Lavender Collins. Connect with me for the recipe!