Veeam poster boy and CEO Ratmir Timashev steps down

It's all change at the top of virtual server backup biz Veeam: Co-founder and current chief Ratmir Timashev is stepping back from day-to-day ops by letting exec veep William Largent grab the controls.

Veeam said co-founders Andrei Baronov and Timashev, who becomes president, will remain "strategic" to the company but this will centre on product development and market strategy rather than being operationally hands-on.

In another high-level change, Peter McKay has been recruited from VMware as chief operations man and bagged a seat on the board to boot. For the past two and three quarter years, he was GM for VMware's Americas business, managing $3bn worth of annual bookings.

A canned PR quote from Timashev stated:

“Peter and Bill are seasoned leaders with complimentary skill-sets; they will be instrumental in helping Veeam to continue on its steep growth trajectory. Peter will also join our Board of Directors and serve along with Andrei, Bill and myself. By attracting executive talent such as Peter, Veeam is sending a clear signal to the market that we are a leader and we’ve only scratched the surface of our potential.”

Veeam is plotting a course to grow into a billion dollar company and intends to expand in the enterprise market. With these two appointments it might hope and expect to gain credibility as an enterprise supplier. ®