Parallels (http://www.parallels.com), which specializes in cloud services enablement and desktop virtualization software, has announced the appointment of Betrand Serlet, former senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, to its board of directors.

Serlet will serve as a non-executive director, bringing to Parallels. He joined Apple in 1997, and was involved in the definition, development and creation of Mac OS X. Before joining Apple, Serlet spent four years at Xerox PARC, then joined NeXT in 1989. He resigned from Apple in March 2011. Serlet holds a doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Orsay, France. 

"Bertrand is the rare combination of a software visionary and master of execution. We’re thrilled to be bringing his world-class experience and expertise to Parallels as the company continues its fast-paced growth and global expansion," says Birger Steen, CEO of Parallels. 
 
Serlet worked at Apple for 14 years, where he led the development and creation of OS X and was frequently a key speaker at Apple industry events. Serlet previously spent eight years with NeXT contributing to NeXTSTEP, OpenStep and WebObjects, and four years as researcher at Xerox PARC. Serlet holds a doctorate in computer science from the University of Orsay, France.
 
"With Parallels Desktop, Parallels became a critical developer for the Mac platform, and I got to know and appreciate the Parallels leadership team," he says. "I also discovered Parallels deep involvement with the cloud, represented by its rich portfolio of products. I look forward to drawing on my career at Apple to help guide Parallels as it continues on its impressive growth trajectory."

The Parallels product portfolio addresses a range of consumer, small and medium business (SMB), enterprise and services provider needs. Parallels Desktop for Mac is the No. 1-selling software1 for running Windows and Mac applications side-by-side on a Mac without rebooting, and is used by more than 50 percent of the Fortune Global 200. The company’s cloud enablement software is used by more than 9,000 service providers who rely on Parallels to deliver thousands of applications and cloud services to more than 10 million SMBs in more than 130 countries.