Cisco's Volpi exits, next CEO now clear

Cisco's head of routing and service provider business, Mike Volpi has left the company for personal reasons, which sets up a clearer CEO succession plan for the company. Volpi and chief development officer Charlie Giancarlo were both considered frontrunners for a potential number two position within the company. When CEO John Chambers took the role of chairman on top of his CEO title, he gave up his "president" title, sparking rumors that he was set to name a number two. Only Volpi and Giancarlo fit the bill for the rumored position, which has yet to come into fruition. Now it looks as if Giancarlo is the next in line since Volpi's unit will be folded into Giancarlo's responsibilities. Chambers, 56, has recently mentioned his long-term plans to stay with the company, so the succession may not come for some time.

For more on Cisco's Volpi:
- read this WSJ article (sub. req.)