Dell Co-COO Chuck Whitten is cleaning out his desk and leaving the outfit with his belongings in a photocopying paper box.
The move is part of a leadership restructuring that CEO Michael Dell said was necessary to move to its next chapter.
“After discussions with Chuck and the board of directors about the leadership profile the company needs and its next chapter we have jointly decided that Chuck will depart Dell Technologies. His last official day will be 18 August,” Michael Dell wrote in a statement to Dell employees.
According to a Friday regulatory filing, Dell Technologies and Whitten agreed on 27 July that he would resign effective as of that date in August.
Whitten joined the company after spending 14 years as an outside advisor to Dell while leading Bain & Company’s southwest division as the PC vendor shifted to become the dominant provider of IT infrastructure to the world.
Whitten will not be replaced as co-COO. The company said “COO and vice chairman Jeff Clarke will continue in the role.” .
In a statement, Whitten said he would be rooting for Dell from the sidelines.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished not just over the last two years, but during the 14 years that I have had the privilege of working with the company both as co-COO and external advisor. The integrity, grit, and customer focus of this team has been constant, and Dell’s future is incredibly bright.”
Whitten was named to the co-COO role in 2021, sharing it with Dell’s veteran COO Clarke, a long-time engineer and designer of Dell products.
As part of Dell’s separation agreement, Whitten is allowed to keep 354,000 time-vested shares of Dell’s common stock, which will continue to vest until August 2025. At yesterday’s trading those shares are worth $19 million, according to an SEC filing.
While Whitten led Bain’s southwest region, the business more than doubled, was among the best Bain offices in employee satisfaction, recognized in 2020 and 2021 as one of Fortune magazine’s best workplaces in Texas.
