The man who helped spearheaded search giant Google's initial public offering (IPO) back in 2004 has announced plans to leave the company and retire by the end of the year.
George Reyes, who has held the position of chief financial officer (CFO) at the company since 2002, this week confirmed his plans to exit the role. He has agreed to help in the search for a suitable replacement.
"Working at Google these past five and a half years has been an extraordinary ride," he said. "I'm honored and flattered to have been a part of this great management team. I know I'm leaving the company in good hands with a remarkable team of professionals that will continue to build on Google's tremendous achievements."
Reyes is a veteran of Silicon Valley high-tech companies, having previously served as interim CFO of optical networking equipment company ONI Systems before it was sold to Ciena in 2002, in addition to holding various financial executive positions at Sun Microsystems during a 13 year tenure.
Reyes also serves on the board of directors of both BEA Systems and Symantec.
"I've known and admired George since our days together at Sun," said Google's chairman and chief executive Eric Schmidt. "As Google's CFO, George successfully navigated our innovative IPO, the regulatory demands of Sarbanes-Oxley, and the management challenges of scaling a global finance organisation. Though we fully appreciate his decision to step back from active management, we'll miss his thoughtfulness, good humor and wisdom."
Google co-founder Larry Page added: "George has been a full partner in Google's global growth and development. He has done an excellent job in keeping us financially disciplined while protecting the best of our entrepreneurial culture."
