"SuSE Linux Names Richard Seibt as New CEO"

Dear  LWN-Team,

please find below our latest press annoucement. Richard 
Seibt's image can be downloaded from the SuSE image database 
at 
http://www.suse.de/en/company/press/services/images/index.html

Kind regards 
Martina Krahmer

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          SuSE Linux Names Richard Seibt as New CEO

Nuremberg, Germany, 25.11.2002 - SuSE Linux, the 
international Open Source technology leader and solutions 
provider, today announced the appointment of Richard Seibt 
as the company's new Chairman of the Executive Board and 
CEO, replacing Gerhard Burtscher.

Burtscher, a turn-around specialist, joined SuSE in 
December, 2001. He completed the restructuring of the 
business and built a scalable infrastructure poised for 
growth. Burtscher aligned the company on indirect sales, 
increased channel delivery partners, pared product lines, 
and increased relationships with ISVs and IHVs. Burtscher is 
one of the founding executive leaders of UnitedLinux, an 
initiative that streamlines Linux development and 
certification around a global, uniform distribution of Linux 
designed for business.

Richard Seibt (50), will join the company on January 20, 
2003 from his current role as a member of the Executive 
Board at United Internet AG.  He will be charged with the 
further growth and expansion of the company.

Seibt brings 24 years of IT industry experience to SuSE 
Linux. Following graduation in business administration, 
Seibt began his career at IBM Germany. During his 20 year 
tenure at IBM, he held executive positions worldwide in 
Business Development, Sales and Marketing. He was CEO for 
IBM Software Sales and Marketing for Germany, Austria and 
Switzerland. Later, as general manager, Sales and Marketing 
of IBM Software for North America, Seibt led Sales and 
Marketing efforts for OS/2 and IBM's middleware. Most 
recently, for the past four years, Seibt was a Executive 
Board member of German-based United Internet AG, where he 
held operational responsibility for several affiliates and  
the internationalization of United Internet and selected 
affiliates.

"SuSE Linux has made industrial history in the Linux market 
with innovative technologies and market-driven products," 
said Seibt. "SuSE has an excellent reputation with consumer 
and corporate customers, as well as ISVs and IHVs. SuSE has 
several key challenges in stepping up to the next level; 
First, to continue to push the international Linux standard, 
UnitedLinux. Second, to make use of the momentum in the 
market to extend with SuSE's partners, our penetration in 
medium-sized and large-sized corporate customers. Third, 
according to the Open Source principle, to offer private 
users and enterprises an alternative to the continuously 
increasing license costs of proprietary operating systems 
and standard office applications."

"There was no doubt for the board of directors, that with 
the expert know how of SuSE's staff, their motivation and 
the existing product potential, SuSE Linux can be led to a 
profitable business concept," said Heinrich Rodewig, 
Chairman of SuSE's board of directors. "Following a 
successful turn-around under the lead of Gerhard Burtscher, 
SuSE passes now to a new phase of growth. The board of 
directors is excited to have found in Richard Seibt the 
ideal successor to Gerhard Burtscher."

"I am pleased that we could reach our goals in a very short 
timeframe, even with the difficult macroeconomic climate 
today," said Burtscher. "We have created a solid foundation 
for SuSE's future growth. The new orientation of SuSE 
accomodates corporate users' as well as private users' 
demands. With its role as the product integrator of the 
UnitedLinux initiative, SuSE has the best requirements for a 
stable global growth at its disposal. With Richard Seibt, 
SuSE gets a new CEO that will meet and solve the upcoming 
challenges, together with SuSE's staff and partners, in the 
same successful way."

*** About SuSE Linux

SuSE Linux is one of the world's leading providers of 
products and services, based on Linux operating system. In 
addition to the operating system and application software 
for private customers, SuSE offers software solutions and 
complete systems for the use of Linux in the enterprise. 
SuSE supports enterprise customers with a comprehensive 
range of qualified consulting, training, and support 
services. Hosting the world's largest development team for 
Open Source solutions, SuSE Linux shares its unique project 
and support information online, in the largest existing 
Linux knowledge database. Further information on SuSE Linux 
can be found at http://www.suse.de/en/

Press contact:
SuSE Linux AG
Martina Krahmer
Deutschherrnstr. 15-19
90429 Nuremberg
Germany
martina.krahmer@suse.de
Phone: +49-(0)911-74053507