Effectively immediately, Kamar Aulakh is no longer president and CEO of Quark Inc., the company announced Thursday.

Linda Chase, senior vice president of commerce product development, was appointed as acting president of the Denver-based software company, which has recruited an executive search firm to find a new CEO.

In a released statement, Quark said the announcements don't affect the software company's "solid financial position, day-to-day operations or Quark's commitment to its customers."

Aulakh, who joined Quark in 1995, replaced controversial CEO Farhad "Fred" Ebrahimi in February 2004. Ebrahimi remains chair of Quark's board of directors.

Aulakh, who previously led Quark's research and development efforts, was promoted in part to help revive the company's sagging market share.

Quark, which grew into one of Denver's largest privately held companies in the 1990s on the popularity of its publishing software products, had alienated many customers with what one British trade publication described as its arrogant attitude, draconian licensing rules and virtually non-existent customer service.

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