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multi-cloud HPE recruits ex-Hitachi Vantara CEO HPE has appointed ex-Hitachi Vantara CEO and HPE returnee Sheila Rohra as COO for its Hybrid Cloud business. She resigned from storage array supplier Hitachi Vantara at the end of March, and Hitachi exec Akinobu Shimada succeeded her on 1 April 2026. The resignation was for personal reasons but followed news in January that Hitachi was looking to sell its Hitachi Vantara business for up to ¥200 billion ($1.3 billion). This, in turn, came after Lenovo bought storage array supplier Infinidat, completing the acquisition in April 2026. Hitachi Vantara has not been sold off and continues developing its products and increasing its sales revenue. At HPE Rohra will report to Fidelma Russo, EVP and General Manager of Hybrid Cloud and HPE CTO, who said: “AI is reshaping enterprise technology, and hybrid cloud is the essential foundation for organizations to harness their data, modernize infrastructure and scale AI securely. HPE has a differentiated portfolio and a significant opportunity to lead this next phase of the market. Sheila’s proven leadership and operating expertise will help us accelerate our strategy, drive growth and deliver greater value for our customers.” For her part Rohra, who will accelerate execution, innovation, growth and scale across the HPE hybrid cloud portfolio, said: “I’m excited to rejoin HPE at such an important moment for our customers and the industry. With GreenLake and our differentiated portfolio across storage, private cloud, virtualization and cloud software, HPE is uniquely positioned to help enterprises simplify hybrid environments and build a strong foundation for AI. I look forward to turning that advantage into faster execution, sustainable growth and greater customer value.” She joined Hitachi Vantara as its Chief Business officer in February 2023, working out how to transform the business, and becoming CEO five months later to do just that. Previously she was SVP and GM at HPE’s Data Infrastructure Business, having joined from being SVP Customer Success at NetApp in August 2021, with time at Cisco prior to NetApp. HPE already has a COO; John F Schultz, EVP and Chief Operating and Legal Officer, heading the Operations, Legal and Administrative Affairs organization, and previously HPE’s and, before that, HP’s general counsel. He's a lawyer while Rohra is a transformation specialist. Other executives have left Hitachi Vantara since its potential sale became public: - CTO Jason Hardy left in February, joining Nvidia as its VP for Storage Technology. - Greg Knieriemen, Senior Director, Global Sales Enablement, left in June 2026, and joined Quantum. - Gary Lyng, VP of Product and Solutions Marketing and Analyst Relations, left in February 2026 to join EQIQ partners.
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