ITWire

 

Steve Bennett, Symantec chairman, president and CEO

Mr Salem had been with the company for 19 years, and held the position of CEO for three years.

His previous roles at Symantec included chief operating officer, president of consumer products, and chief technical officer.

"The board's decision to make a leadership change was not based on any particular event or impropriety but was instead made after ongoing consideration and a deliberative process," said Dan Schulman, Symantec's newly-appointed lead director.

However, Mr Salem's departure followed Symantec's first-quarter results, which showed a 10% reduction in net income (due in part to a strengthening of the US dollar), despite a 1% increase in revenue.

"We are fortunate as a board to be able to name Steve as CEO and achieve continuity in leadership," added Mr Schulman.

"Steve [Bennett] understands the company well, had a great track record at Intuit and General Electric and is a perfect fit for moving the company forward."

Mr Bennett joined the Symantec board in 2010 and became chairman in 2011.

He was president and CEO of finance software specialist Intuit from 2000 to 2007, and previously spent 23 years with General Electric, holding a variety of management roles.

Mr Bennett is a director of American Airlines and technology company Qualcomm.

He holds a degree in finance and real estate from the University of Wisconsin.