OCZ CEO Ryan Petersen Resigns

OCZ Technology Group, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Alex Mei, EVP and chief marketing officer as Interim CEO, effective immediately.
Mei’s appointment follows the Board’s acceptance of  Ryan Petersen’s resignation as president, CEO and a director of the company. Mei will also maintain his current responsibilities as EVP and chief marketing officer until a permanent CEO has been selected.

In regards to his decision to resign, Petersen said: "I am very pleased to have transitioned the company from a niche developer, manufacturer, and seller of high-performance DRAM memory modules to a global leader in solid-state storage solutions."

"On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Ryan for his vision and his service to OCZ," said Adam Epstein, OCZ’s lead independent director. "Though it perhaps goes without saying, there wouldn’t be an OCZ without Ryan, and his contributions to the company and to the DRAM and SSD industries are far too numerous to mention. We wish him and his family the very best for the future."

In moving forward with Alex Mei, Epstein said: "We are fortunate to have someone of Alex Mei’s caliber to step in and lead OCZ as Interim CEO. Alex is not only a proven executive who has made significant contributions and provided outstanding leadership to OCZ as executive vice president and chief marketing officer, his tenure with the company since 2004 helps to ensure continuity until a permanent CEO is hired. Alex has the full confidence of the Board and is well respected by colleagues, employees, and the industry alike. He’s ideally suited to oversee the continued execution of OCZ’s strategic plans during this interim period."

In response to this announcement, Mei said: "I’m honored that the Board has selected me to lead OCZ on an interim basis. We have dedicated and talented employees, extremely competitive technology, and product roadmaps that we believe will enable us to continue to provide industry-leading solid state storage solutions to our growing customer base. As one of the longest tenured employees, I’ve been fortunate to have had a front-row seat to what OCZ’s amazing employees are capable of achieving for nearly a decade. I’m confident that our team will continue to execute the core strategies we’ve previously communicated to investors."

 Upon joining OCZ in 2004, Mei brought a decade of experience in brand and product marketing focused on consumer and component solutions in the channel, system integration, and the retail space. He has held multiple senior level marketing management positions in high-tech firms, most recently serving for 5 years as global marketing manager for First International Computer Inc.

He holds a B.S. in Marketing Management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo University.