CA Technologies has appointed Michael P. Gregoire as the company's new chief executive officer, effective January 7, 2013.

After an unanimous election from the company's board of directors, Gregoire succeeds the retiring William E. McCracken, who was CEO since January 2010.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead CA Technologies,” Gregoire says.

“I accepted the position because I believe CA Technologies has a compelling value proposition, a strong reputation and a growing relevance for customers, software engineering, and partners.

"It is clear that CA Technologies is well-positioned to lead the industry as companies find it more critical than ever to manage and secure their IT environments in the cloud and efficiently provide business services that enable them to win in the marketplace.

Gregoire joins CA from cloud-based talent management software company Taleo, where he held the position of chairman, president and chief executive officer.

During his seven years leading Taleo, Gregoire managed an IPO in 2005 and grew revenue from $78 million to $324 million, before the company was acquired early in 2012 by Oracle for nearly $2 billion.

“We are very pleased to have hired someone of Mike Gregoire's calibre,” says Arthur Weinbach, chairman of the board of directors, CA Technologies.

“He clearly stood out in the field of candidates we considered, bringing to CA Technologies a compelling track record of success, leadership skills, operating expertise and software industry vision.

"We expect CA Technologies employees, customers and partners to benefit from his leadership, years of experience in the software industry and customer focus.

Gregoire will relocate to the New York area.