“Novell Inc., a maker of networking software, Thursday announced
a management shake-up, including the departure of two key
executives, as part of a plan to speed the execution of its growth
strategy.“Effective immediately, Chief Executive Jack Messman and Chief
Financial Officer Joseph Tibbetts Jr., 53, are no longer with the
company…”
Customer Letter from Ronald W. Hovsepian, Novell President and
CEO
[ Thanks to Kees den
Hartigh for this information. ]
Dear Novell Customer,
Today Novell announced a series of changes to the company’s
management team and Board of Directors. I have been named to
replace Jack Messman as Chief Executive Officer and have also been
elected to the Board of Directors. Thomas Plaskett, a current
Novell director, has been elected as non-executive Chairman of
Novell’s Board.
We also announced that the employment of Joseph Tibbetts, our
former Chief Financial Officer, ended yesterday. Dana Russell,
Novell’s current Vice President of Finance and Corporate
Controller, has been appointed interim CFO while the company
conducts a search for a permanent replacement.
Our Board is grateful for Jack’s and Joe’s years of service and
dedication. Their leadership was pivotal in helping to guide the
company through a period of dramatic change in the industry. One of
the many hallmarks of their tenure was spearheading the company’s
shift to a Linux and open source-based strategy which placed Novell
at the center of one of the most significant computing developments
of the past decade.
I am honored and enthusiastic about the opportunity to lead
Novell. Having been with the company for over three years,
including serving as the company’s President and Chief Operating
Officer since October 2005, I have a great appreciation and
understanding for Novell’s innovative technology, strong business
partners and highly talented employees. We also take great pride in
our ability to continually adapt to create a portfolio of products
that deliver real value to our customers.
I want to assure you that Novell will remain focused on
aggressively executing our Open Enterprise strategy. This is an
enterprise that leverages a mixed source environment and takes
advantage of open standards-based commercial software and the best
the open source world has to offer. We have already made an
excellent start. We’re working with customers around the world that
service multiple industries and institutions to ensure that our
Open Enterprise strategy is customized to meet their needs.
Over the next several weeks, my team and I look forward to
working with you to get the results you’re looking for. I look
forward to hearing from you.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us with any
questions.
Sincerely,
Ronald W. Hovsepian
President and Chief Executive Officer
Novell, Inc.