Excite@Home Chief Executive Officer George Bell Tuesday said he was stepping down, making him the second chief since May to quit that post.
Bell, who was appointed Excite’s first CEO in 1996, will resign from his
position as soon as a suitable replacement is hired.
“I remain deeply committed to continuing as CEO until the board can find a qualified, new CEO,” Bell said. “As
broadband goes and as we execute, I believe the company’s best market lies
ahead.”
Bell was appointed president of Excite@Home following
the merger of Excite and @Home Network, and was given the added title of
chairman of the company in early May when Tom Jermoluk resigned.
Jermoluk, who remains an active member of the
board, defected to become a partner at prominent venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
At that time, ATHM
planned to invest heavily in its services and to put less financial
resources into its narrowband services, such as the Excite@home portal.
During that period, several shifts in management took place, including
the appointment of Mark A. McEachen to executive vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding CFO
Kenneth A. Goldman.
“This completes the renewal of our senior
management team to ensure we have the scale to support the next phases of
growth in our company,” Bell said at the time.
Bell plans to remain as chairman of the board at least until the end of
2001 and will work closely with the next CEO, according to the company.
A search for a new CEO has been put into place.
