The wait for a Jerry Yang successor is over. Yahoo on Tuesday named Carol Bartz as the next CEO of the troubled Internet company.
Bartz, 60, is a veteran technology executive. She most recently served as executive chairman of Autodesk and also served as CEO of Autodesk for 14 years, leading the company to become a powerhouse in computer-aided design software. During her tenure as Autodesk CEO, the company’s revenues climbed from less than $300 million to more than $1.5 billion and its share price increased nearly tenfold.
Bartz’s executive experience also includes hands-on responsibility for leading global operations, engineering, sales and marketing organizations for large technology and engineering companies, including Sun Microsystems, Digital Equipment, and 3M.
“There is no denying that Yahoo has faced enormous challenges over the last year, but I believe there is now an extraordinary opportunity to create value for our shareholders and new possibilities for our customers, partners and employees,” Bartz said. “We will seize that opportunity.”
A Warm Yahoo Welcome
Roy Bostock, Yahoo’s board chairman, said Bartz has the right combination of seasoned technology experience and savvy leadership that Yahoo needs. He added that Bartz is admired in Silicon Valley as well as on Wall Street for her deep management expertise, strong customer orientation, excellent people skills, and firm understanding of the challenges facing the industry.
“Carol meets all of the criteria we set for the search and is the only person to whom we offered the job,” Bostock said. “The board is united in its view that her energetic and decisive leadership style, coupled with a proven track record of driving growth, operational excellence, and shareholder value, is exactly what Yahoo needs to get back on a path toward achieving its full potential.”
Bostock once again thanked Yahoo cofounder Yang for his recent 18-month service as CEO. Yang plans…