Vantiva CEO Tim O'Loughlin has stepped down with immediate effect, citing personal reasons, and CFO Lars Ihlen has taken over as interim chief executive while the board searches for a permanent successor, the broadband and video CPE supplier announced on October 8, 2026.

O'Loughlin had led the Paris-based set-top box and home-gateway vendor for two years. He will remain with the company as an advisor and also leaves his seat on the board of directors.

The timing puts leadership uncertainty squarely in front of Vantiva's management at a delicate moment. Ihlen, who keeps his CFO title alongside the interim CEO role, is no stranger to the top job — he has already served once before as Vantiva's interim chief executive. He brings 15 years of finance leadership at the company, first at Technicolor Connected Home and then at Vantiva after the business was spun out under its current name.

What does the change mean for Vantiva?

The board framed the departure as personal, not strategic, and moved quickly to signal continuity. Chairwoman Katleen Vandeweyer credited O'Loughlin with a focused turnaround agenda during his two-year tenure.

"The Board thanks Tim for his two years of leadership as CEO, during which he refocused the Company and streamlined its operations to strengthen performance," Vandeweyer said in the announcement.

She also endorsed the interim appointment in direct terms. "I am confident in Lars' ability to lead the Company through this transition. Together with the executive leadership team and the Board, he remains fully committed to driving Vantiva forward for the benefit of all our customers and stakeholders," she said.

The board said it will begin the search for a permanent CEO "as soon as practicable," but gave no timeline for the appointment.

A familiar hand on the tiller

Ihlen's dual mandate — interim CEO plus CFO — gives Vantiva an experienced operator at the top while the recruitment process runs. His 15-year stretch at Technicolor Connected Home and then Vantiva spans the company's transition from a division of Technicolor to a standalone supplier of broadband gateways, set-top boxes and video CPE for telecom operators.

That history matters for Vantiva's operator customers, who buy home-network hardware on multi-year contracts and typically value supplier stability. A second interim stint for Ihlen reduces the risk of a leadership vacuum between now and the permanent appointment, though it also extends a period in which the company lacks a long-term chief executive.

Vantiva did not announce any changes to strategy, product lines or financial guidance alongside the management shift, and the statement contained no operational metrics or financial figures.

The episode also lands amid broader executive churn in the adjacent US telecom equipment and network space. Separately, Verizon chief network officer for core engineering and operations Adam Koeppe announced he will leave the operator at the end of this year, writing that he intends to "move on to the next chapter" — another sign of personnel change rippling through vendor and operator engineering ranks.

For Vantiva, the immediate task is procedural: the board starts its CEO search now, with Ihlen holding both the finance and leadership reins until a permanent appointment closes out the transition.