NetApp appoints new CEO after strong results

NetApp has announced a new chief executive (CEO) in line with strong first quarter results.

Tom Georgens, NetApp's chief operating officer, is stepping into the role of CEO as Dan Warmenhoven steps down after 15 years. The company has called the move a "management succession process."

However, the timing of this reorganisation at the top is significant.

Results for the company were positive with net income of $52 million (31.5 million), up from $35 million for the same period last year, which the company puts down to new product launches and increased adoption of deduplication.

The company recently experienced a well publicised wrangle for a deal to secure Data Domain, ending in a loss to storage giants EMC.

Warmenhoven will stay on as a member of the board and take up a newly created role of executive chairman, dedicating his support to his successor.

He said in a statement: " look forward to supporting Tom as he takes the company through the next stages of growth in a new era for the information technology industry."

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.