Harris to Succeed Campbell as CEO of Intuit

In an anticipated executive transition, Intuit Inc. said Monday that it plans to promote William Harris to president and chief executive of the personal-finance software company, succeeding William Campbell, who will become chairman.

Harris, 42, is currently an executive vice president at Intuit and has been largely responsible for devising the company’s Internet strategy, including making its https://www.quicken.com one of the most popular financial sites on the Web.

In an interview Tuesday, Harris said the transition has been planned for about nine months and reflects the desire of Campbell, 57, to play a less active role.

“In terms of the strategic direction of Intuit, this means zero change,” said Harris, who was also named to the company’s board of directors.

Campbell, who has been chief executive of Intuit for four years, is widely credited with helping the company consolidate its position as the dominant maker of personal finance and tax software. Intuit is best known for its Quicken and TurboTax products.

Analysts said the change was expected.

“Bill Campbell is definitely a loss for Intuit,” said Genni Combes, an analyst at Hambrecht & Quist. “Bill Harris has really led the Internet push over the last couple of years, and he’s well-respected.”

Campbell, a Silicon Valley veteran who was formerly a top marketing executive at Apple Computer Inc., will resign as CEO and become chairman on Aug. 1, the start of the company’s fiscal year.

Scott Cook, the company’s co-founder and overall strategist, will relinquish his position as chairman but will continue working full time as chairman of Intuit’s executive committee.