John W. Thompson will retire, to be replaced by Enrique T. Salem

Symantec succession sorted

Current Symantec chief executive officer John W. Thompson is to retire from his position at the end of this fiscal year.

Symantec’s board of directors has appointed Enrique T. Salem, the current chief operating officer as president and chief executive officer, effective from April 4, 2009. Following the transition, Thompson, 59, will remain chairman of the board and Salem, 43, will join the board of directors.

“I am proud of our team’s accomplishments over the past 10 years as we’ve transformed the company from a consumer software publisher to the leader in Internet security, data protection and storage management,” said Thompson.

“I’ve always believed planning for succession was a critical part of my role and, for the past two years, have been working with the board on a thoughtful succession plan. Through that process, Enrique emerged as the right person to lead the company and I am confident in his ability to continue to drive the success of our team.”

Check Also

Westcoast acquires Spire Technology

Westcoast has acquired UK IT components distributor Spire Technology.  The deal for 100% of the …