SUSE S.A. (the “Company” or “SUSE”), a leader in innovative, open and secure infrastructure software solutions for multi-cloud environments, today announces that the Company’s Supervisory Board has appointed Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen as new CEO starting on May 1st 2023 to lead SUSE during its next phase of accelerated profitable growth.
A veteran of the enterprise software industry, Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen has spent nearly two decades at Red Hat, a global leader in open source solutions. Since joining Red Hat in 2004, he has held various senior management positions overseeing sales, marketing and operations, most recently as Senior Vice President and General Manager of North America, and before that of APAC.
Melissa Di Donato, the current CEO, has decided to step down as she embarks on the next chapter of her career. Under her leadership SUSE listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2021 and became one of Europe’s most valuable public software companies. During her tenure, SUSE has also completed the strategic acquisitions of Rancher and NeuVector, which position the Company strongly in the high growth markets of container management and security. SUSE has increased its revenues by over 60% and its adjusted EBITDA by over 70% under Melissa Di Donato’s leadership.
“On behalf of the Supervisory Board I would like to thank Melissa for her leadership of SUSE as it laid the foundations for life as a public company and completed its IPO. Her work has strengthened SUSE’s global brand and set it up for success in the coming years. We wish her all the best for her future endeavours.” said Jonas Persson, Chair of the Supervisory Board. “The Board is convinced that Dirk-Peter’s outstanding track record and expertise within the enterprise software industry make him the ideal CEO to lead SUSE as it embarks on the next phase of its journey. We are delighted to have him join and look forward to SUSE’s continued journey as the world’s most innovative open source company.”
Melissa Di Donato, outgoing CEO at SUSE, added, “I am proud of the performance that we have delivered during my tenure as CEO and what we have achieved for our customers, partners and the broader SUSE family. After four wonderful years it is now time to pass the reins to the future leadership team and I wish everyone at SUSE the very best.”
Incoming CEO at SUSE, Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen, said, “I would like to thank the Supervisory Board for the opportunity to join as CEO, and also Melissa who has led the company through a significant period of transformation and growth. I have admired the organisation for many years and am now looking forward to working with the executive team and the entire organisation to execute on the various opportunities the market offers and serve our customers and partners. I know that SUSE’s people are some of the best in the industry and I am excited to see what we can achieve together.”
To facilitate the transition, CFO Andy Myers has been appointed interim CEO in addition to his role as CFO. Andy Myers has been SUSE’s CFO since 2020 and played a pivotal role in the Company’s IPO. The Supervisory Board places full trust in his experience and connection with the SUSE business and team to successfully lead the Company on an interim basis and facilitate an orderly transition to Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen.
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About SUSE
SUSE is a global leader in innovative, open and secure infrastructure software solutions for multi-cloud environments, relied upon by more than 60% of the Fortune 500 to power their mission-critical workloads. We specialize in Business-critical Linux, Enterprise Container Management and Edge solutions, and collaborate with partners and communities to empower our customers to innovate everywhere – from the data centre to the cloud, to the edge and beyond. SUSE puts the “open” back in open source, giving customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg and employs more than 2,000 people globally. SUSE is listed in the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
For more information, visit www.suse.com.