SUSE has announced the appointment of Ian Halifax as chief financial officer (CFO) and Frank Feldmann as chief strategy officer (CSO), to complete the company’s C-suite after a turbulent year of executive leadership shake-ups.
The latest edition to SUSE’s C-suite, Halifax, will take over from the interim CFO, Jonathan Atack, who retains full responsibility for the role until December 11, 2023. Appointed by the SUSE supervisory board, Halifax will then additionally join the SUSE Management Board and Executive Leadership Team.
Halifax has over 30 years of experience in senior financial leadership positions, including as CFO of global technology providers such as Trellix, Riverbed Technology, ON24, Wind River Systems and Micromuse. Halifax’s career spans both private and public technology companies, with substantial experience developing and leading global teams to drive performance, rapid growth and diversification.
Halifax said: “It’s clear to me that SUSE is well-positioned to take advantage of significant market opportunities and the global megatrends that are driving growth in those markets. I look forward to working with DP and the rest of the Executive Leadership Team to continue to grow the SUSE business.”
SUSE additionally announced the appointment of Feldmann as CSO, effective immediately, who will serve on the Executive Leadership Team alongside Halifax. Feldmann’s career includes more than 15 years in senior management roles, notably at companies such as Red Hat and Novell. He has a strong foundation in technology product management, sales and technology marketing, focusing on business and technology transformations.
Feldmann said: “I thrive in open source environments, that’s why I am very excited to join SUSE as it takes an even greater leadership position in supporting and driving the values and role of true open source. SUSE has an excellent portfolio of products and services, so I’m looking forward to help articulate our strategy and accelerate growth.”
Notably, SUSE announced in March that Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen had been appointed as the firm’s new CEO, starting from May 1st of this year. Even more recently, Werner Knoblich joined on as chief revenue officer (CRO) in June.
Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen, CEO of SUSE, commented on the appointment of Halifax and Feldmann, stating: “I am delighted to welcome Ian and Frank to SUSE. Ian has an excellent track record as chief financial officer in dynamic, global technology companies and I know he has the right skills and experience to make a tremendously positive impact at SUSE.
“Frank’s broad understanding of enterprise software markets and customer needs will be a great asset as we innovate and grow.”
