WebMethods names new CEO, chairman

Software maker webMethods on Monday named David Mitchell its chief executive officer and Bill Russell its non-executive chairman.

The appointments follow the resignation of Phillip Merrick as chairman and CEO, who left citing health reasons. Mitchell will also serve a member of the board of directors, the company said.

Mitchell joined the company as vice president of sales in 1997, became its chief operating officer in 2000 and was named president in 2001. He oversaw the company's global sales, marketing, industry solutions, business development and customer service operations. Prior to joining webMethods, he had served as president and CEO of Vycor, which was acquired by McAfee Software.

The changes come ahead of second-quarter results, scheduled to be announced Oct. 21. The Fairfax, Va., software firm recently won a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to supply middleware software for a radio frequency identification project. WebMethods builds software programs designed to shuttle data across incompatible computer systems.