Steve Chapman, chairman and chief executive officer of West Des Moines-based ITAGroup Inc., will step down as CEO on Jan. 1. Thomas Mahoney, currently the company’s president and chief operating officer, will assume the CEO post, and Chapman will remain chairman of the board of directors.

In a press release today, ITAGroup said the announcement was made during the company’s annual meeting on Oct. 23.

“The process of succession planning at ITAGroup is something discussed regularly, with a formal plan in place for all key positions,” Mahoney said in the release. “While I will miss the day-to-day contact with Steve, as chairman he will remain a strong influence within our organization.”

Chapman has been with the company since 1974 and has served as its CEO since 1995. When Chapman assumed the top position, the company had only a handful of employees in one office location. Today, the company has nearly 500 employees at 11 offices across the country.

“Tom and I have worked together for almost 20 years,” Chapman said. “Over the last five years, we have been working toward this succession plan. Tom has earned the position of CEO of ITAGroup and it is the right time for this transition in leadership.”

Mahoney started with the company as a national accounts manager in 1987 and has held various leadership positions within the company, including director of marketing, vice president of sales and marketing, and executive vice president. He became president and COO in December 2006. He is a 1981 graduate of the University of Iowa. Prior to joining ITAGroup, he was president of Continental Laboratories Inc.