"Rajiv is an accomplished leader with a track record of delivering a high-growth portfolio of products and services," said Nutanix lead independent director Sohaib Abbasi.

"Rajiv distinguished himself among the CEO candidates with his rare combination of operational discipline, business acumen, technology vision and inclusive leadership skills.

"The talented Nutanix team, under Rajiv's leadership, is well-positioned to drive sustained growth, to improve efficiency and to advance leadership in the emerging hybrid cloud infrastructure category."

Ramaswami will also become a member of the Nutanix board of directors on 14 December 2020.

He joins the company from VMware, where he most recently held the role of COO for products and cloud services.

Ramaswami previously held senior roles at Broadcom, Cisco and Nortel. Earlier in his career he worked for Tellabs and IBM.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Nutanix at this transformative time for the company and the industry," said Ramaswami.

"I have long admired Nutanix as a formidable competitor, a pioneer in hyperconverged infrastructure solutions and a leader in cloud software. Working closely with the board, the management team, and the more than 6,000 talented Nutanix employees around the world, we will build on Nutanix's strong foundation of continuous innovation, collaboration and customer delight. Together, we will capitalise on the significant opportunities ahead and deliver on the company's next phase of growth and value creation."

Ramaswami holds a Batchelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and a master's and a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California Berkeley.

He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and holds 36 patents, primarily in optical networking.

Ramaswami succeeds Nutanix co-founder Dheeraj Pandey, who previously announced his plans to retire as CEO of Nutanix upon the appointment of a successor.

"Rajiv is the right leader at the right time," said Pandey.

"With a future-proof business model, a loyal and expanding customer base, and a strong technology portfolio, I look forward to seeing Rajiv take the helm to lead this incredible team. This is the decade to watch for a company that so values simple, secure, and seamless.

"On a personal note, it has been a privilege to serve our customers and partners, working closely alongside Nutanix employees."

Pandey will step down from the Board on 14 December 2020, to ensure continuity through Nutanix's upcoming annual meeting of stockholders.