Friday's Last Word: Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst — Who is he?

Red Hat (RHT) CEO Jim Whitehurst joined the open-source software solutions provider as CEO in 2008 to further innovate the Raleigh, North Carolina-based tech giant by taking advantage of his background in business development, finance and global operations.

Prior to taking on his leadership role at Red Hat, Whitehurst oversaw all aspects of airline operations for six years as COO of Delta Air Lines (DAL). He began his career with The Boston Consulting Group in 1989, where he held several corporate development leadership roles.

What does Whitehurst have planned for Red Hat in 2014?

As a public company, Red Hat's board of directors and stakeholders also have an influence in its product roadmap and vision. To meet these additional expectations, Red Hat will continue to meet or beat its "commitments to Wall Street and our board," Whitehurst said.

What is Friday's Last Word?

Friday's Last Word welcomes cloud-centric CEOs who are willing to speak with Talkin' Cloud without someone peaking over a shoulder. Click on each photo to learn more about the CEO you're viewing — it's truly that simple.

Think you can handle sitting in the hotseat? Send an email to Talkin' Cloud Senior Editor CJ Arlotta at cj.arlotta [at] penton.com for further information. If he doesn't get back to you right away, bother him some more — and more.

Follow CJ Arlotta on Twitter @cjarlotta and Google+ for further updates on the story above — or if you just want to say hello.