Western Digital’s Shakeel Made Chief Operating Officer

Western Digital Corp., one of the industry’s major data storage device companies, said Tuesday that it has promoted Arif Shakeel to the post of chief operating officer.

Shakeel, 46, who has been executive vice president and general manager of the Hard Drive Solutions group, replaces Matt Massengill, who became the company’s president and chief executive in January 2000.

The Lake Forest company said in a news release that Shakeel will retain his role for the hard-drive group and add operating responsibility for new storage initiatives in other sectors, including gaming devices and set-top boxes.

Shakeel joined Western Digital in 1985 as a product manager and climbed the corporate ladder to vice president of marketing, vice president of business development, Far East sales and vice president of materials for Asia.

Shakeel holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Memphis State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine University.