IT management software provider SolarWinds has announced the appointment of Sudhakar Ramakrishna as its new president and CEO.
An experienced global technology leader, Ramakrishna brings more than 25 years’ experience across, cloud, mobility, networking, security and collaboration markets to the business.
Chairman of the Board Bill Bock said that after an "extensive and thorough search", the new SolarWinds chief will lead the business into a "new chapter in the company's history".
"Sudhakar is a proven leader and has significant experience leading and scaling world-class, global technology organizations," Bock said.
"His deep expertise in strategic planning and execution, organizational development and product strategy will be especially beneficial and, when teamed with the seasoned SolarWinds leadership team, will provide strong and experienced executive leadership for the future of SolarWinds".
Ramakrishna replaces the outgoing Kevin Thompson, who’s long-time leadership has positioned the business well for the future, SolarWinds said.
"We would also like to thank Kevin Thompson for his many years of service to SolarWinds," Bock added. "Under his guidance, SolarWinds has grown into a leader in IT infrastructure management with a portfolio of products designed to meet the real world needs of IT professionals who manage today’s complex IT environments."
An experienced global technology leader, Ramakrishna most recently served as the CEO of Secure Access solutions provider Pulse Secure, where he was responsible for all aspects of business strategy and execution.
Prior to that, he served as senior vice president and general manager for the Enterprise and Service Provider Division at Citrix and has also held senior leadership positions at Polycom, Motorola, Stoke, 3Com and US Robotics.
Alongside the appointment, SolarWinds also announced it is to receive around $315 million in secondary investment from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), who will own approximately 5% of the business after closing.
"SolarWinds is at the forefront of enabling customers to manage complex IT environments with simple and integrated solutions," said Ramakrishna.
"I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with the excellent team at SolarWinds to accelerate our focus on customer success, as we deliver solutions to serve the emerging needs of IT, Application and Security professionals even as they adapt to an increasingly hybrid world."
