Stephen Kelly has announced he is to stand down as CEO of UK legacy modernisation vendor Micro Focus, after three years in the role.
In a statement, Micro Focus said that Kelly would be stepping down for personal reasons and his departure will enable him to spend more time with his family.
Kelly’s surprise departure comes after a busy few months for Micro Focus. In June this year, the company announced the acquisition of Compuware’s Testing and ASQ (Automated Software Quality) Business for $80m, improving its offering in the application testing and ASQ markets, which it estimates to be worth around £2bn globally.
Around the same time the company also acquired Borland, a provider of application lifecycle management tools, which sit nicely alongside the application modernisation and software testing toolsets of Micro Focus.
In July 2009, the company released its Make Britain Great Again Technology Manifesto, an ambitious plan to create 250,000 new technology jobs in the UK within the next 10 years. Unveiled at an event in the House of Commons, it described how technology has a key role to play in dragging the UK out of the recession.
Kelly will support Micro Focus during the search for his successor and the transition process. “I have been privileged and fortunate to have served Micro Focus for over three years. The timing and nature of these personal decisions is never easy – it will be sad for me to leave the company,” he said. “I have been very proud to be a part of the Micro Focus Board and management team and I am confident Micro Focus will continue to prosper.”
“On behalf of the Board I would like to thank Stephen for his significant contribution to the business during his tenure and wish him well in his future. Under Stephen’s leadership, Micro Focus has achieved the ambitious plans set back in 2006, and is poised for the next stage of growth,” said Micro Focus Chairman, Kevin Loosemore.
Shares in the company fell 13% after the news was announced.
