Lanham Napier

Lanham Napier joined Rackspace as Chief Financial Officer in April, 2000, just a few short months before the technology industry hit rock bottom during the 2000 downturn. He is largely credited by Rackspace's own management team in keeping the company steady and setting it on its current path to profitability and success.

In January of 2001, Lanham was named President of the company, working side-by-side with then CEO Graham Weston as they pulled the company out of a cash-burning mode and established an operational discipline that set Rackspace on a permanent positive revenue track. In 2006, he was named Chief Executive Officer, further underscoring his key role at the company.

Early in his career, Lanham worked as an analyst for Merrill Lynch & Co. from May of 1993 to June of 1995. Prior to coming to Rackspace, he served as a director for Silver Brands Partners, a San Antonio investment firm.

Immediately after joining Rackspace, Napier recognized that customer service was at the very core of Rackspace's business and helped introduce the 'fanatical customer support' culture for which Rackspace is known today. His efforts went into instilling a deep concern for and interest in the customer at every level of the company, rewarding positive behavior and quarterly growth, as well as customer acquisition and retention. Despite the discipline, Rackspace is regularly cited locally and nationally as one of 'the best places to work.'

During his tenure, Lanham has seen the company grow from less than 100 employees to more than 2,000, and from a single data center to eight facilities located in Texas, Washington, D.C, and London, England.

Lanham has a B.A. in Economics from Rice University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.