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Former Apple Executive in charge of OSX Bertrand Serlet joins Parallels Board of Directors

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-2C2gb6ws8]

So much for the early retirement… Former head of Mac OSX Bertrand Serlet is not only working on cloud startup Upthere, but we were told today that he is joining the board of Parallels, the popular virtualization software for Mac.

It is impossible to overstate Serlet’s importance to the creation of OSX. He was at NeXT when they were first building OSX. He left just last year as Steve Jobs was relinquishing his role at the company.

  • Serlet worked at Apple for 14 years, where he led the development and creation of OS X and was frequently a key speaker at Apple industry events. Serlet previously spent eight years with NeXT contributing to NeXTSTEP, OpenStep and WebObjects, and four years as researcher at Xerox PARC. Serlet holds a doctorate in computer science from the University of Orsay, France.
  • “With Parallels Desktop, Parallels became a critical developer for the Mac platform, and I got to know and appreciate the Parallels leadership team. I also discovered Parallels deep involvement with the cloud, represented by its rich portfolio of products. I look forward to drawing on my career at Apple to help guide Parallels as it continues on its impressive growth trajectory,” said Serlet.

We are wishing the best for Dr. Serlet in his new role at Parallels.

The full release follows…

Former Apple Executive Bertrand Serlet Joins Parallels Board of Directors

Distinguished industry veteran and former head of software engineering at Apple bolsters Parallels board with decades of industry expertise

Renton, WA, July 17, 2012 – Parallels, a global leader in cloud services enablement and desktop virtualization software, announces the appointment of Betrand Serlet, former senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, to its board of directors.

Serlet will serve as a non-executive director, bringing to Parallels his distinctive professional experience of having led the development of Mac OS X from its inception until his departure from Apple in 2011. Serlet’s distinguished background and unique insights will help Parallels accelerate growth and continue creating software that simplifies life for consumers and businesses.

“Bertrand is the rare combination of a software visionary and master of execution. We’re thrilled to be bringing his world-class experience and expertise to Parallels as the company continues its fast-paced growth and global expansion,” said Birger Steen, CEO of Parallels.

Serlet worked at Apple for 14 years, where he led the development and creation of OS X and was frequently a key speaker at Apple industry events. Serlet previously spent eight years with NeXT contributing to NeXTSTEP, OpenStep and WebObjects, and four years as researcher at Xerox PARC. Serlet holds a doctorate in computer science from the University of Orsay, France.

“With Parallels Desktop, Parallels became a critical developer for the Mac platform, and I got to know and appreciate the Parallels leadership team. I also discovered Parallels deep involvement with the cloud, represented by its rich portfolio of products. I look forward to drawing on my career at Apple to help guide Parallels as it continues on its impressive growth trajectory,” said Serlet.

The Parallels product portfolio addresses a wide range of consumer, small and medium business (SMB), enterprise and services provider needs. Parallels Desktop for Mac is the No. 1-selling software1 for running Windows and Mac applications side-by-side on a Mac without rebooting, and is used by more than 50 percent of the Fortune Global 200. The company’s cloud enablement software is used by more than 9,000 service providers who rely on Parallels to deliver thousands of applications and cloud services to more than 10 million SMBs in more than 130 countries.

About Parallels

Parallels is a global leader in hosting and cloud services enablement and desktop virtualization. Founded in 2000, Parallels is a fast-growing company with more than 900 employees in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.parallels.com.

Media Contacts:

John Uppendahl, Sr. Director of Global Communications, juppendahl@parallels.com, 425.282.1734

Eddie McGraw, Bite Communications for Parallels, eddie.mcgraw@bitecommunications.com, 415.365.0466

Parallels, the Parallels logo and Parallels Desktop are registered trademarks of Parallels Holdings Ltd. Other product and company names are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

1Mac desktop virtualization software, new unit U.S. retail sales according to NPD Research, 1/2011-5/2012

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