Carol Bartz new Yahoo! CEO; Decker to quit as President
Veteran technology executive Carol Bartz will takeover the reins of Yahoo! as Chief Executive, from its embattled founder Jerry Yang, as the Internet major looks for ways to make a turnaround. The appointment of Bartz culminates the nearly two-month long search for a Chief Executive, after Yang decided to step down in mid-November. Meanwhile, Yahoo!’s President Sue Decker would also resign from the company. Yang had come under fire in the wake of the Internet major’s reluctance for the USD 47.5-billion takeover offer from Microsoft, forcing the software giant to walk away from the bid.
Later, the much talked about proposed advertising deal with Google also collapsed. Sixty-year-old Bartz, whose appointment as Chief Executive and to Yahoo!’s board is effective immediately, was most recently the Executive Chairman of software maker Autodesk.
“She is the exact combination of seasoned technology executive and savvy leader that the Board was looking for.
,” Yahoo!’s Chairman Roy Bostock said in a statement on Tuesday about Bartz taking over as the Chief Executive.
Bostock added that Bartz met all of the criteria that the company had set for the search and “is the only person to whom we offered the job.” Interestingly, reports suggested that Decker was also in the race for the top post.
The statement noted that Decker would resign after remaining with the company for a transitional period. As Autodesk’s Chief Executive for 14 years, Bartz helped in transforming the firm into a leader in computer-aided design software.