The services of CEO Jack Messman and CFO Joseph Tibbetts, Jr, are no longer required by the Orem, Utah-based technology company.
The board of directors at Novell have appointed president Ronald Hovsepian to the additional role of chief executive officer, the company announced today.
Dana Russell, current vice president of finance and corporate controller, will serve as an interim CFO until the board locates a permanent replacement.
Messman and Tibbetts have been listed as having their employment end yesterday, June 21st. Messman will remain on Novell’s board until October 31st of this year.
Thomas Plaskett, newly-elected non-executive chairman of Novell’s board, spoke of the management changes in a statement:
“The Board concluded that a management change would be the best way to accelerate the execution of our growth strategy and build value for shareholders. Ron is the ideal choice to lead the company as we continue with our transition to Linux-based products and identity and resource management and leverage our unique support of mixed source environments.
“The Board is grateful for Jack’s and Joe’s service to the company.In particular, the company’s decision under Jack’s leadership to adopt an open source-based strategy put Novell at the center of one of the most significant computing developments in the last decade. “
New CEO Hovsepian has a long track record in tech, having spent 17 years at IBM in various roles. “We have innovative technology, a strong roster of customers and business partners and an extremely talented group of employees,” he said of his firm.
Novell’s management plans to hold a one-hour conference call today to discuss the abrupt changes in the Orem corner offices.
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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
