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Ex-Microsoft, BMC Exec Tapped for Citrix CEO
Kirill Tatarinov led Redmond's Business Solutions Division.
Citrix Systems Inc. has its new CEO.
The company's major restructuring effort filled its most important position Wednesday, when it appointed Kirill Tatarinov to the post.
Tatarinov was a 13-year veteran of Microsoft before he left the company last summer as part of a companywide reorganization. He spent his last eight years at Microsoft leading its Business Solutions Division, which included, among other Microsoft products, the Dynamics CRM and ERP line of business applications. Before Microsoft, he was the senior vice president and CTO of BMC Software.
Tatarinov's CEO role at Citrix will take effect on Jan. 25, when he will also join the company's board of directors. He succeeds Mark Templeton, who announced his retirement from Citrix in mid-2015 after 14 years as CEO.
"Following a thorough review of candidates, the Board determined that Kirill's strong product management background and extensive technology leadership experience make him the right person to oversee Citrix's innovation and growth strategy," said Robert Calderoni, Citrix executive chairman, as well as interim CEO and president in the wake of Templeton's announcement, in a prepared statement.
Tatarinov's appointment to CEO has been the most significant step in a series of major restructuring moves at Citrix, which in recent years has struggled to grow at the same pace as its virtualization and cloud computing rivals. The company reported significant financial losses in its fiscal 2014 and announced plans early last year to lay off about 900 employees.
In mid-2015 Citrix gave activist investor Elliott Management, which had been urging Citrix to spin off its non-core businesses to improve its bottom line, a seat on its board. Since then, Citrix has either discontinued or sold off several products, including its XenClient VDI product, its GoTo line of virtual conferencing applications, and its cloud management products, CloudPlatform and CloudPortal Business Manager. Elliott believed that Citrix was too diversified, and needed to focus on fewer core products.
"I am honored to join Citrix during this exciting time," Tatarinov said in a prepared statement. "Citrix is an iconic company with a world-class brand, innovative products, and a large installed base, including 99 percent of the Global 500. Citrix is a key enabler of digital business. Across every industry and region, the secure delivery of apps and data is a strategic imperative for organizations of all sizes. I look forward to working alongside Citrix's leaders, talented employees, and dedicated partners around the world to push the boundaries of innovation and create greater value together."