Albright cancels speech at CA user show

Computer Associates International Inc.’s (CA) keynote schedule at its upcoming user conference is a blank slate, following the company’s management shakeup last month and its guest speaker’s withdrawal from the program.

CA traditionally brings in statesmen and other luminaries to address attendees at its annual CA World show. Past speakers include Walter Cronkite, Rudolph Giuliani, Jimmy Carter and Colin Powell. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was scheduled for the spot this year, but has withdrawn citing personal reasons, according to CA spokesman Bob Gordon.

The company also needs to rebook its opening keynote, the speech generally given by CA’s chief executive officer (CEO) to lay out his thoughts on the past year and goals for the coming one. CA’s official show program still lists former CEO Sanjay Kumar as its opening speaker, but those plans are being altered to reflect CA’s recent management changes, Gordon said.

Kumar was stripped of his chairman and CEO titles and moved to the newly created chief software architect position last month in response to company and government investigations of accounting violations at CA several years ago. While Kumar has not been accused of wrongdoing, the accounting fraud took place on his watch as president and chief operating officer (COO), prompting calls for his removal from CA’s management team.

CA, in Islandia, New York, is now led by interim CEO Ken Cron. In a conference call with analysts about CA’s management changes, Cron said he is not a candidate for the permanent CEO job.

The keynote spot could fall to newly promoted COO Jeff Clarke, who joined CA in early April as its chief financial officer and was quickly bumped up in the executive ranks.

The relative visibility of Cron, Clarke and Kumar at CA World may help clarify CA’s new management hierarchy. CA has remained vague about the role now played by Kumar, a popular figure with customers.

CA World, in Las Vegas, begins May 23.