Mark Adams to Retire as President and CEO
Kash Shaikh Appointed as President and CEO
Penguin Solutions, Inc. (“Penguin Solutions” or the “Company”), a leading provider of high-performance computing and AI infrastructure solutions, announced the retirement of Mark Adams as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of the Company. After a thorough search process, the Board has appointed technology veteran Kash Shaikh as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of the Company, effective February 2, 2026. To ensure a smooth transition, Adams will remain with the Company as an advisor for nine months.
Shaikh brings more than three decades of technology leadership and operational experience to Penguin Solutions, with a proven track record of driving growth, innovation and customer-centric execution across enterprise software, SaaS and AI infrastructure markets. He most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Securonix, where he scaled the business, introduced agentic AI solutions, strengthened customer relationships and led strategic organic and inorganic growth across global markets.
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Penny Herscher, Chair of the Penguin Solutions Board of Directors, said, “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Mark for his leadership over the past five years and for the lasting impact he has had on the organization. Mark led the transformation of Penguin Solutions, bringing together a set of independent businesses under a unified, innovative brand at a pivotal moment in the AI revolution. Under his guidance, Penguin Solutions expanded its portfolio, entered new markets and established itself as a trusted partner for critical AI infrastructure solutions across a wide range of industries. We are pleased that we will continue benefiting from his expertise as an advisor during this transition.”
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Herscher continued, “We are excited to welcome Kash to Penguin Solutions. The Board conducted a thoughtful succession planning process and is confident that Kash is the right leader to guide Penguin Solutions through its next phase of development. He brings deep operational experience, a strong track record of scaling technology businesses and a customer-centric leadership style that aligns closely with the Company’s strategy and culture. As enterprise demand for production-scale AI infrastructure accelerates, Kash’s expertise in AI and his background in leading complex, global organizations position him well to build on the momentum Mark and the team have created.”
In announcing his retirement, Adams said, “Leading Penguin Solutions has been a privilege and a defining chapter in my career. This is the right time for me personally to retire, and I’m deeply grateful for the support of the Board, our employees, our customers and our shareholders over my tenure as CEO. I am incredibly proud of what our teams have accomplished together – we have redefined Penguin Solutions and put it in a position to capture significant opportunities in the AI and advanced memory markets.”
Reflecting on his appointment, Shaikh said, “Penguin Solutions has built a differentiated platform at the intersection of advanced computing, memory and services, with a long history of helping customers design, build, deploy and manage complex infrastructure at scale. As enterprises move from proofs of concept to production AI environments, Penguin’s focus on performance, reliability and time-to-value is increasingly critical. I’m excited to work alongside the leadership team and our employees to deepen customer partnerships, continue expanding our enterprise footprint and execute our strategy with discipline as we build the next chapter of the Company.”
