Juniper Networks' CEO steps down

Router vendor Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR) says its CEO, Shaygan Kheradpir, has resigned his post as well as his position on the company's board over questions about his leadership and his conduct during negotiations with an unidentified customer. Rami Rahim has been named to replace Kheradpir.

Juniper provided few details about the circumstances that led to Kheradpir’s departure. It did note, "The board and Kheradpir have different perspectives regarding these matters."

Rahim, who has been with Juniper for 17 years (he was the company’s 32nd employee), previously served as executive vice president and general manager, Juniper Development and Innovation. He has also overseen the ongoing evolution of silicon technology and the Junos operating system and was one of the original architects of the MX, Juniper's flagship routing platform.

"Rami is the right chief executive officer to lead Juniper," said Scott Kriens, Juniper’s chairman of the board. "He is a talented leader who brings deep instincts about the networking industry, and enormous support from our employees and our customers. Rami has succeeded at every challenge he's ever taken on at Juniper, and we couldn't be more excited about his ability to lead this company."

"I am honored to be asked to lead Juniper -- a company I have dedicated 17 years of my career to -- at such an important time in our history," said Rahim. "Juniper employees have truly risen to the challenge this year and that has enabled us to make incredible progress in 2014, including sharpening our focus on the highest-growth segments of the market, optimizing our organizational structure and improving cost management. And we've accomplished this while readying our next wave of great products. I want to thank my talented colleagues around the world for their hard work and dedication. The management team and I remain committed to our strategy and are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for Juniper."

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