Vinson & Elkins Hires Durgesh Sharma as Chief Technology and Data Officer

Vinson & Elkins today announced that Durgesh Sharma has joined the firm as its Chief Technology and Data Officer.

Dennis Van Metre, who served as Chief Information Officer at Vinson & Elkins for more than 30 years, is retiring at the end of June.

“Technology and innovation play a foundational role for how we think at the firm,” said Keith Fullenweider, Chair of Vinson & Elkins. “We are grateful for Dennis’ decades of service and for helping us better leverage technology to serve our clients and our internal needs. The addition of Durgesh, and his client-centric way of implementing and deploying technology, brings the experience and expertise needed to build on this success and solidifies our commitment to recognizing the important role technology plays in allowing us to continue to provide excellent service to our clients.”

Adam Kassoff, Chief Operating Officer at Vinson & Elkins, said, “At a time when technology is rapidly evolving and impacting the legal industry, Durgesh’s extensive experience in data management, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence will build on the incredible foundation that Dennis has erected and will enable us to continue offering innovative service to our clients and professionals.”

“Vinson & Elkins has a leading reputation in the legal industry for entrepreneurship and client service,” Sharma said. “I look forward to working with our team of technology experts and firm leaders to utilize data and technology to enhance the work we do for our clients, and to continue providing a state-of-the-art work environment for our lawyers and business professionals.”

Sharma joins the firm from Littler Mendelson, where he was the firm’s Chief Digital Technology & Security Officer. His experience spans global business applications, enterprise architecture, cloud services, IT and security operations, data services and integrated infrastructure.

At Littler, he expanded the capabilities of the firm’s technology team, while helping the firm implement new, client-facing digital products and services. Sharma began his career in consulting and has worked with premier international organizations, such as Oracle, GE Capital, and Hitachi Consulting. He also worked for Colliers International, a global commercial real estate firm, where he served as senior vice president, chief information officer. In that capacity, he was a member of their business strategy team with responsibility for the development of several major technology initiatives and products.

Sharma earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering at Delhi College of Engineering and a master’s degree in business management at the Institute of Management Technology in India. He will be based in Houston and New York in his new role.