Serving as chief investment officer for Vantage Data Centers, Cecil Lepard leads the company’s global strategy and M&A initiatives to drive organic and inorganic growth. Lepard brings to Vantage more than 25 years of experience creating shareholder value across internet infrastructure and technology sectors.
Prior to joining Vantage, Lepard served as senior vice president of corporate development for Optiv Security, a KKR portfolio company, where he was responsible for the organization’s overall value creation strategy, including leading global M&A. Before Optiv Security, Lepard was vice president of corporate development at Level 3 Communications where he executed the company’s global M&A activities. During his time at the company, he closed more than 20 successful transactions culminating in the merger of Level 3 Communications and CenturyLink. Preceding his move to Level 3 Communications, Lepard worked in investment banking at Thomas Weisel Partners.
Lepard received his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his Bachelor of Business Administration with honors from Southern Methodist University.