Symantec, the Silicon Valley-based security software maker, announced yesterday that John W. Thompson, chairman and chief executive officer, will retire as CEO at the end of the fiscal year.

The board of directors has appointed Enrique T. Salem, Symantec's chief operating officer, as president and chief executive officer effective April 4, 2009, according to the announcement.

Following the transition, Thompson, 59, will remain chairman of the board and Salem, 43, will join the board of directors, the announcement said.

The company said Salem has worked closely with Thompson over the past few years to set the company's strategic direction. In January 2008, Salem was appointed chief operating officer responsible for the company's day-to-day operations, global product development, sales and marketing.

Salem will continue in his current role as chief operating officer until the end of the fiscal year.

"I am proud of our team's accomplishments over the past 10 years as we've transformed the company from a consumer software publisher to the leader in Internet security, data protection and storage management," said Thompson in a statement.

"I've always believed planning for succession was a critical part of my role and, for the past two years, have been working with the board on a thoughtful succession plan. Through that process, Enrique emerged as the right person to lead the company and I am confident in his ability to continue to drive the success of our team."