Luxembourg-based VoIP provider Skype has appointed Tony Bates, former Senior Vice President of US-base IT networking firm Cisco, as CEO.
Bates will replace Josh Silverman, who is leaving the group for undisclosed reasons.
Skype’s chief financial and…
Luxembourg-based VoIP provider Skype has appointed Tony Bates, former Senior Vice President of US-base IT networking firm Cisco, as CEO.
Bates will replace Josh Silverman, who is leaving the group for undisclosed reasons.
Skype’s chief financial and administrative officer, Adrian Dillon, will serve as interim CEO until Bates joins Skype by the end of October.
Bates, who has previously led Cisco’s enterprise division and its service provider group, is described by Skype as an expert on internet technologies with more than 20 years of leadership experience in the sector.
“There are extraordinary opportunities ahead for Skype and I am eager to lead the company through this exciting juncture in its continuing transformation,” said Bates.
“I look forward to working with Skype’s management team and talented employees to engineer the next wave of game-changing products and services for our users.”
Previous Skype CEO Silverman is credited for helping to fuel the VoIP provider’s rapid expansion since taking the helm in February 2008.
“I am proud to have led Skype’s growth during this critical transition period,” said Silverman.
“The company today has over 560 million registered users in nearly every country and continues to develop products and services our customers love to use. With a world-class communications industry veteran like Tony, Skype is well positioned to become the communications platform of choice for consumers and businesses around the world. I look forward to supporting Tony and the team in ensuring a smooth transition.”.
