Raymund has been at the helm of Tech Data, of Clearwater, Fla., for 20 years, but now he is handing the company over to Robert M. Dutkowsky, whose appointment is effective Oct. 2. Raymund disclosed in January that he planned to step down.

Dutkowsky, 51, joins Tech Data from Egenera, a leader in utility computing, where he served as chairman, president and chief executive officer since February 2004. Dutkowsky led Egenera's expansion into new technologies and geographic markets, according to a statement released Sept. 13 by Tech Data.

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"Bob possesses a highly successful track record in driving sales growth and leading companies through periods of change and development," Raymund said in a statement released by the company.

"His sales expertise, business acumen and leadership ability in the areas of distribution and product development are an enormous addition to our company. I am very pleased that Bob is joining Tech Data, and in speaking on behalf of our entire organization, we look forward to his contributions as we work to grow our company and deliver improved returns to our shareholders," Raymund added.

Dutkowsky has worked in the IT industry since 1977, when he joined computing giant IBM and served in a number of sales, marketing and executive management positions including vice president of distribution for IBM Asia/Pacific and vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for the RS/6000 line.

In 1997, Dutkowsky joined EMC as executive vice president of markets and channels and later became president of the Data General division there. Dutkowsky is credited with helping to grow EMC's revenue from $2 billion to nearly $9 billion.

In 2000, he was appointed chairman, president and chief executive officer of GenRad and guided the company through its merger with Teradyne. In January 2002, Dutkowsky was named president and chief executive officer of J.D. Edwards, and he was named chairman in March of the same year. He left J.D. Edwards in 2004 as the company completed its merger with PeopleSoft.

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A search committee at Tech Data reviewed a number of qualified candidates to succeed Raymund as CEO before choosing Dutkowsky, according to the company.

Dutkowsky will serve on the company's board, but Raymund will retain the chairman post.

"I am excited to be a part of an extremely dynamic and successful organization," Dutkowsky said in a statement. "Steve and the talented management at Tech Data have built an industry leading IT distribution company with an extensive global reach, an exceptional team of employees and highly focused operating fundamentals."