Pioneering ASP FutureLink Corp. announced a changing of the guard this week, with the appointment of Howard E. Taylor as president and CEO and the promotion of Richard M. White to CFO.
Glen Holmes, former president and COO, will remain a member of the Board of Directors of FutureLink. Holmes was named president in summer 1999, following FutureLink’s acquisition of Micro Visions, a company Holmes founded in 1987. Philip Ladouceur, who took the reins as CEO in August 1999 following the departure of company founder Cameron Chell, will continue in his role as chairman of the Board of Directors of FutureLink, a post he has held since June 1999.
Raghu Kilambi, FutureLink’s former CFO and a director of the company, resigned from these positions for personal reasons. Kilambi, a longtime friend and associate of Chell, was involved in guiding the company to a Nasdaq listing, first as a bulletin board stock in 1997 and subsequently through its secondary offering to become a fully listed company.
“We are pleased and excited to have Howard step into this key leadership role at FutureLink,” said Ladouceur. “His breadth and depth of experience in the information technology and telecommunication industries will play a vital role in helping us expand our software integration solutions and consolidate our organizational growth. We are grateful and appreciative of all Raghu has accomplished during his long tenure with the company and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Taylor has a proven track record as a senior executive for leading technology companies. Prior to joining FutureLink, he was a venture operating partner at Pequot Capital Management. Previously, Taylor was chairman and CEO of OnSite Access Inc., a building-centric communications company. He served as president and COO of WinStar Broadband Services, a business unit of WinStar Communications. Before joining WinStar, Taylor was president of the Custom Business Group of Southern New England Telephone (SNET). Prior to this, Taylor held several senior management positions within the technology and telecommunications industries, including over 13 years of experience at IBM Corporation. Taylor holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
“I am thrilled to join FutureLink, a pioneer in server-based computing solutions and hosted application services,” Taylor said. “FutureLink’s global operations, systems integration talent and expertise in server-based computing and application infrastructure systems will be the driving force behind maintaining our position as a leader in the industry.”
FutureLink also announced the promotion of Richard M. White from senior VP, corporate, to the position of executive VP and CFO. White joined FutureLink in January 2000, bringing more than 30 years experience in corporate finance and accounting to FutureLink. Prior to joining FutureLink, he served as VP administration for AT&T Canada. Previously he served as executive VP and CFO of the ALC Group of Companies, a manufacturer of lighting equipment. Prior to this, White was executive VP of The Coinamatic Group and served as partner with KPMG, Peat Marwick Thorne, Chartered Accountants.
“We are focused on reducing operational costs while insuring an adequate resource base for future growth. These goals are key priorities for the coming year, along with securing additional capital resources. I am delighted to have Rick White, a proven operational executive, join me in taking FutureLink to its next stage of growth,” Taylor said.
FutureLink has seen turbulent times lately, with its stock price teetering around the $1 level, from a 52-week high of $38.50. A 10 percent staff reduction was announced in October. The company hopes to see a turnaround with these
new executive appointments, coupled with a $25 million credit facility from Foothill Capital announced last week.