NetApp Announces Changes to Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors

NetApp

today announced changes to the executive leadership team and board of directors, effective immediately. George Kurian has been appointed by the board as chief executive officer and also appointed to the board of directors. Lead independent director Mike Nevens has been elected chairman of the board. These announcements follow the departure of Tom Georgens, the company's former chairman and chief executive officer. "NetApp is an exceptional company with a great future and the board believes that it is the right time for new leadership to maximize its potential," said Mr. Nevens. "These changes are aimed at speeding the company's movement to its next phase of innovation and growth. While we intend to conduct a CEO search, we have the utmost confidence in George's ability to lead the company, given his deep knowledge of NetApp and support from a strong executive team. George has deep relationships with customers and partners globally and is committed to strengthening those relationships going forward." Mr. Nevens continued, "On behalf of the board and everyone at NetApp, I sincerely thank Tom for his many valuable contributions over the past 10 years." Mr. Kurian joined NetApp in 2011 and has served as the company's executive vice president, Product Operations where he was responsible for overseeing the strategy and development of NetApp's Product and Solutions portfolio since September 2013. "I am honored to lead NetApp during this time of transition," said Mr. Kurian. "I look forward to engaging with the entire NetApp community as we execute our strategic plan and key investment areas of accelerating clustered Data ONTAP adoption, regaining traction in the channel, and increasing our sales capacity. We are committed to delivering improved growth and financial performance and remain confident in the strength of our technology and hybrid cloud strategy."