Juniper Networks picked a technology executive from financial services provider Barclays as its next CEO, replacing Kevin Johnson, who is retiring after five years in the position.
The networking vendor announced the appointment of Shaygan Kheradpir Nov. 13, with the board of directors praising his business and technology acumen.
“Shaygan has a proven track record of successful business operations and technology leadership, with industry knowledge and technical vision from the perspectives of both telecommunications service providers and global enterprises,” Scott Kriens, chairman, said in a statement. “Most importantly, Shaygan’s values and vision for the company align very tightly with our own, building a strong foundation for Juniper’s future.”
Kheradpir spent two years at Barclays, serving as chief operations and technology officer. He also was a member of the firm’s executive committee. Before his time with Barclays, he was executive vice president and chief information and technology officer at Verizon Communications, spending a decade with the telecommunications vendor.
“Juniper Networks delivers innovations that are transforming the way people interact, conduct business, and connect as a global community,” he said in a statement. “I am honored to lead this visionary organization and look forward to working with this group of dedicated and talented professionals to drive the next phase of the company’s growth.”
Johnson on July 23 announced his intention to retire, making his statement the same day that he and other executives released strong second-quarter financial numbers. He said he wants to spend more time with his family. The company’s board at the time noted that Juniper’s business had grown 50 percent during Johnson’s tenure.
Officials Oct. 22 announced that in the third quarter, the company grew revenues 6 percent—to $1.18 billion—from the same period in 2012 and that it earned $99 million. Juniper forecast revenues between $1.2 billion and $1.23 billion for the current quarter.
Juniper, like such competitors as Cisco Systems and Hewlett-Packard, is working to build out its software-defined networking (SDN) strategy while protecting its profitable physical switch and routing business. The company Oct. 29 launched its new MetaFabric networking architecture that, among other things, makes it easier for organizations to move applications and data not only within the data center but also between data centers, an important capability for cloud service providers and businesses that operate more than one data center.
MetaFabric essentially combines Juniper’s QFabric with its switches—both the QFX line and the EX family—MX routers, SRX security solutions and Contrail SDN controller.