Dell chief technology officer to leave in January

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc's Chief Technology Officer Kevin Kettler plans to leave the company in January after 13 years with the U.S. computer maker, a Dell spokesman said on Wednesday.

"This is something Kevin's been planning for some time and we're working to find a successor," David Frink said.

Kettler has played a lead role in shaping Dell's technology strategy and pushing across-the-board innovation at the Round Rock, Texas-based company, Frink added.

Kettler will leave the company in mid-January to spend more time with his family and focus on his varied interests, Frink said.

Technology news site CNET earlier reported his departure.

Kettler is a founding member of an Austin-based charity organization and also owns a restaurant in the city.

Casey Jones, a vice president of marketing at Dell, also left the company earlier this month. Frink said his decision was personal and Jones continues to be a consultant to the company.

The two executives' departure have nothing to do with Dell's ongoing cost-cutting effort, Frink said.

The No. 2 computer maker, near the end of a program of 8,900 job cuts, is offering voluntary severance packages and has instituted a global hiring freeze.

Just last week, Dell asked employees to consider taking up to five days of unpaid vacation as it struggles to cut costs in the face of weak global demand.

(Reporting by Anupreeta Das, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)