SUSE Names Johannes Nussbickel As Chief Executive Officer

July 20, 2001


Roland Dyroff Joins SUSE Board of Directors

Oakland, CALIFORNIA

SUSE Linux, the international technology leader and solutions provider in Open Source operating system software, today, named Johannes Nussbickel as the company's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Roland Dyroff, the departing CEO becomes a guiding force within the Board of Directors.

Johannes Nussbickel, previously SUSE Chief Financial Officer (CFO) assumes his new duties immediately. As SUSE CFO, he fortified the company's financial standing, assisted in SUSE international development and legal matters and extended the company's image in banking and investment communities. Roland Dyroff, after eight highly successful years at the helm of SUSE operations, immediately ascends to his position as a SUSE Linux board member.

Upon taking up his new office Nussbickel stated, "We have a solid foundation upon which we are taking SUSE to the next level as an international corporation. Technologically, SUSE Linux AG, has a marked competitive edge over its competitors. That edge is based upon the first foundations established by Roland Dyroff. The onus is now on us to proclaim the commercial and technical benefits of using our Linux software and service implementation, especially in an economy that is contending with a more strained financial situation."

Heinrich Rodewig, Chairman of SUSE Board of Directors, said, "I am convinced that under the leadership of Nussbickel, SUSE Linux AG will continue to profit from the substantial growth of the Linux market. Moreover, Rodewig expressed his thanks and appreciation for the achievements made by Dyroff, one of the founding members of the organization, whose engagement and effort was one of the decisive factors for the national and international standing of the company today.

Johannes Nussbickel, born 1963, joined SUSE Linux AG as Member of the Executive Board and CFO in August 2000. Apart from his focus on the implementation of the company's international accounting, reporting, and planning systems, he was also responsible for investor relations and legal issues. In addressing his new challenges, Nussbickel will make use of the extensive experience he gained while working for a number of multinational enterprises. Following his graduation in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Braunschweig, he received an MBA degree from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Subsequently Nussbickel held several management positions in Finance in the Daimler-Benz Aerospace Group (DASA) in Germany and the US. Before he joined SUSE he was responsible for managing large mergers & acquisitions projects at Daimler Chrysler Aerospace AG, Munich, now part of the European aerospace group (EADS).


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