Today seems to be executive switch-up day in the technology industry. We"ve already reported on Red Hat"s CEO change, and now networking company Cisco has announced in a press release that executive vice president and Chief Development Officer Charles Giancarlo would be leaving the company to pursue "new professional opportunities." According to CEO John Chambers, "Charlie has been a close colleague and a good friend during the 14 years he has been at Cisco, and he has made many significant contributions to the company during that time."
Chambers continued, "Cisco"s prioritization on collaboration and developing new business models is driving the company"s organization, cultural, global and business approach. As we build Cisco into a next-generation company, we will transition from a company that is driven from command and control to one that is built on teamwork and collaboration. The Development Council is one example of how this new structure will drive collaboration to effectively address market opportunities, drive efficiency and quality, and foster innovation."
During Giancarlo"s tenure at Cisco, he was responsible for a number of key accomplishments. After joining Cisco through the acquisition of Kalpana, a pioneer in ethernet switching, Giancarlo started Cisco"s business development organization and developed Cisco"s successful M&A strategy. He initiated and then led Cisco"s Small and Medium business activities including contributing to the development of Cisco"s channel strategy. Giancarlo also initiated and led a large number of Cisco"s advanced and emerging technologies including Unified Communications, home networking, wireless networking, security, video, and TelePresence among many others.