Paul J. Cormier is a business executive who serves as chairman of Red Hat. He previously served as Chief executive officer (CEO) from April 6, 2020 until July 12, 2022.[1][2][3]
Paul J. Cormier | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Fitchburg State University (BS) Rochester Institute of Technology (MBA) |
Title | Chairman, Red Hat |
Cormier was born in Fitchburg on November 4, 1959. His interest in computers started during his high school years when his father got him a summer job in Digital Equipment Corporation where he kept working until his college years. He attended the Fitchburg State University and did his master's degree in Rochester Institute of Technology. After graduation, he participated in Graduate Engineering Education Program of IBM and Digital. [4][5][6]
Cormier joined Red Hat in May 2001 as Executive Vice President of Engineering and initiated the commercialization of open source products by promoting cloud services. He also helped the creation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.[7][8]
Cormier was appointed CEO of Red Hat on 6 April 2020 by replacing Jim Whitehurst. He then was replaced by Matt Hicks on 12 July 2022 and became chairman of the company.[9]
Paul will set to retire after 24 years serving in Red Hat, start from 1 April 2024[10]. Matt hicks also set Chairman's award to Paul Cormier Trailblazer Award to honor Paul Impact in 24 years serving Red Hat, in 2025.