Veritas executes planned succession strategy, names Greg Hughes as CEO

• To sustain a rapid pace of innovation with both existing and new solutions
• Bill Coleman remains on Veritas board; named operating executive at The Carlyle Group

VERITAS Technologies, a leader in multi-cloud data management, announced that its board of directors has appointed Greg Hughes as chief executive officer, part of a planned succession strategy to lead the next phase of the company’s evolution.

Hughes will also join the Veritas board. Bill Coleman, Veritas’ previous CEO, will remain a member of the Veritas board, continuing to serve as a trusted advisor to the company. He will also join The Carlyle Group as an operating executive. These appointments are effective immediately.

Hughes is an experienced enterprise software executive who most recently served as CEO of Serena Software, a leading enterprise application lifecycle management software company.

Previously, he joined Veritas in 2003 and held various executive roles for the next seven years through the merger with Symantec. He rose to president of Enterprise Products at Symantec, which included responsibility for all Veritas products.

Under Hughes’ leadership, Veritas will continue to focus on ensuring customer success while sustaining a rapid pace of innovation with both existing and new solutions that can help organisations solve their most complex data management challenges in a multi-cloud world.

“After a thorough search, we are confident that Greg is the right leader for Veritas moving forward,” said Bill Krause, chairman of the board for Veritas.

“Greg has a proven track record of strategic and operational success in enterprise software, knows the company well from his previous work with Veritas and Symantec, and understands the data management demands and challenges facing Veritas’ large customer base around the world.”

“I am excited to return to Veritas at a time when data management has never been more critical for our customers globally,” said Hughes.

“I look forward to continuing the company’s evolution and am confident, working with Veritas’ strong executive management, that we have the right global team, product set and expertise in place to enable Veritas to capitalize on existing and future growth opportunities.”

“We are grateful for Bill’s leadership over the past two years,” said Patrick McCarter, managing director and co-head of Global Technology, Media, and Telecommunications at The Carlyle Group.

“Under his direction, Veritas transitioned from an on-premises backup and recovery company to a leading multi-cloud data management company, all while delivering significant value for customers and creating meaningful opportunities for Veritas employees.”

“I believe that Greg is the ideal leader to transition Veritas to the next phase of its evolution,” said Coleman.

“This planned succession ensures a seamless transition for the company and its customers, employees and partners.”

During his tenure as CEO, Coleman successfully steered Veritas’ strategy as a privately held company and oversaw the diligence process around the company’s separation from Symantec in 2015.

Coleman also led a team of more than 7,000 employees around the world as the company overhauled its portfolio, developed a successful cloud platform strategy and delivered exceptional products and value to customers.