Rackspace CEO Retires As Firm Looks Towards Hybrid Cloud

Rackspace CEO Lanham Napier is retiring from the company after seven years in charge. He will be replaced by co-founder Graham Weston, who led the company between 1999 and 2006, and now takes charge of the firm’s push into hybrid cloud, till a permanent successor is found.

Napier says it was a difficult decision to leave Rackspace, but is confident it is the right one as the firm continues its transformation. He will continue to serve as a consultant with the company in order to ensure a smooth transition.

“With the board and management team aligned around our strategy and financial plan heading into 2014, I believe now is a natural transition point and the right time to select a new leader for the next exciting phase of Rackspace’s growth,” says Napier.

Rackspace CEO change

Weston is full of praise for Napier, saying that during his 14 years with the company, he helped to transform it from a tiny San Antonio-based startup into a “global leader in cloud computing” with $1.5bn in annual sales.

“I am honoured and excited to step in as CEO at this stage of the company’s growth, after having last held the job from 1999 to 2006,” says Weston. “My taking the reins as successor to Lanham will give our board all the time it needs to conduct a careful, thorough search to find the right CEO for the next decade.”

Rackspace has been looking towards the cloud as a way of offsetting any potential slowdown in its web hosting business and hopes that its Rackspace Cloud will help close the gap between itself and larger competitors such as Amazon Web Services.

Weston says the company is preparing itself for a new wave of mainstream business that is starting to move to the hybrid cloud and that it can differentiate itself from the ‘DIY’ approach of its rivals by offering a package of services, support and specialised expertise to businesses.

“This is a critical year in our history, so I plan to aggressively lead us toward our future as one of the clear leaders of the emerging cloud market — an opportunity that I view as one of the biggest in the history of business,” he declares.

How well do you know cloud computing? Test yourself with our quiz!

Steve McCaskill

Steve McCaskill is editor of TechWeekEurope and ChannelBiz. He joined as a reporter in 2011 and covers all areas of IT, with a particular interest in telecommunications, mobile and networking, along with sports technology.

Recent Posts

Ericsson To Cut 1,200 Jobs in Sweden Amid ‘Challenging’ Market

Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson blamed “challenging mobile networks market” and “further volume contraction” for job…

14 hours ago

FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For $8bn Fraud

Dramatic downfall. Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for masterminding $8bn fraud that…

15 hours ago

Elon Musk Orders FSD Demo For Every Tesla US Sale

Fallout avoidance? Tesla buyers in the US must be shown how to use the FSD…

16 hours ago

Amazon Pumps Another $2.75 Billion Into Anthropic

Amazon completes its $4bn investment into AI firm Anthropic, after providing an additional $2.75bn in…

18 hours ago

The Sustainability of AI

While AI promises unparalleled efficiency, productivity, and innovation, questions regarding its environmental impact loom large.…

21 hours ago

Trump’s Truth Social Makes Successful Market Debut

Shares in Donald Trump’s social media company rose about 16 percent after first day of…

21 hours ago