Matthew Szulik became the CEO of Red Hat in November of 1999, the same year that the company went public. Since then, Szulik has been a guiding force for Red Hat, pushing the company's open source offerings into server rooms with the help of Dell, IBM, and HP. Yesterday, Szulik announced plans to step down as president and CEO for personal and family reasons, but will remain involved as chairman of the board of directors.
The board has elected Jim Whitehurst, former COO of Delta Airlines (and the man who guided the airline out of bankruptcy), to fill the role of Red Hat president and CEO. Whitehurst has spent much of his career in high-level management roles and has a lot of background in business, but he also has a degree in computer science. "Red Hat has changed the way people consume technology. This is an outstanding company that I feel privileged to join," said Whitehurst in a statement. "Our outlook is positive with strong technology, great people, solid management and a global brand. Red Hat leads the software industry in delivering value to its customers. I welcome this opportunity to lead Red Hat into the future."
Szulik posted a final blog entry expressing appreciation for his colleagues shortly after the announcement. "Red Hat associates past and present, along with members of the open source community and our customers and partners picked up their brushes, dipped them into a paint palette of color to create this artwork called Red Hat," Szulik wrote. "Throughout my tenure, it was my dream, that even in the face of the most difficult odds and vicious competition, we, the people of Red Hat could make an enormous and positive improvement in the lives of others."
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