Juniper ousts CEO amid review of 'conduct and leadership'

Shaygan Kheradpir only joined at the start of the year

Juniper has waved off its chief executive Shaygan Kheradpir after its board led a review into his conduct and leadership relating to a certain customer negotiation.

Juniper veteran Rami Rahim was announced as Kheradpir's successor last night and will take over with immediate effect. Prior to taking the top role, he served as executive vice president of Juniper Development Innovation and has been at the firm for 17 years.

In a statement, Juniper said Kheradpir's exit follows a disagreement with the board.

"Shaygan Kheradpir has resigned as chief executive officer and director of the company," the statement read.

"His resignation follows a review by the board of directors of his leadership and his conduct in connection with a particular negotiation with a customer. The board and Kheradpir have different perspectives regarding these matters. The board's review will not result in any adjustments to the company's financial statements."

Almost a year ago to the day, Kheradpir was unveiled as Juniper's new boss. He began work on 1 January when he took over from former CEO Kevin Johnson, who retired.

Juniper insisted that Rahim's appointment will not derail its long-term plans.

"The board of directors and the executive leadership team remain fully committed to the strategy and financial targets Juniper articulated at its 30 October investor day including the near- and long-term outlook the company has recently disclosed," it said.

Rahim was Juniper's 32nd employee and helped engineer its first-ever product, the M40 core router, and its flagship router platform MX.

Juniper chairman Scott Kriens said he is confident Rahim is the right man for the job.

"He is a talented leader who brings deep instincts about the networking industry, and enormous support from our employees and our customers," he said. "Rahim 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."