Former CRN Publisher Cron Departing CA

In its annual report filed Monday, CA said Cron's term as a director will expire at the company's 2006 annual shareholders meeting. CA is reducing its board to 11 members. The date for the meeting hasn't yet been set, the company said.

Cron has been a CA board member for about four years. He took the reins as interim CEO of the company in April 2004 when former chairman and CEO Sanjay Kumar resigned under the pressure of an accounting scandal. Cron's job as interim CEO ended in November 2004 when CA named former IBM executive John Swainson as president and CEO.

Swainson praised Cron in an internal memo to CA employees this week, a CA spokesman said.

"The board of directors has elected to reduce the number of non-independent directors serving on our board from two to one. In fiscal year 2006, Ken Cron and I were deemed non-independent directors. Consequently, Ken Cron's term will expire at the 2006 annual meeting," Swainson said in the memo. "I want to take this opportunity to thank Ken for his outstanding service on the board and in particular for his leadership as CA's interim CEO during a critical 10-month period in the company's history."