Xyratex (NASDAQ: XRTX) is now in the hunt for a new chief executive. Steve Barber has resigned from the CEO position, effective immediately. No reason was given for his departure. The company said current board member Ernie Sampias will replace him on an interim basis while it searches for a permanent replacement. In this effort the company is being assisted by a "leading executive search firm" that it did not name.
Barber had been in his post since early 2003 and was at the helm when the U.K.-based data-storage specialist went public the following year.
On the leadership change, Xyratex quoted its Chairman Jonathan Brooks as saying that "with the challenges the company faces in a rapidly changing industry, we have mutually agreed that this is the right time for a leadership transition."
