Russo leaves Cisco

Carl Russo, who walked his way into Cisco Systems via the epochal $6.9 billion acquisition of Cerent Corp., is walking the other way. Sources within Cisco confirmed today that Russo has left the company to pursue personal interests.

Russo was CEO of Cerent when it was acquired simultaneously with Monterey Networks in 1999. And while the Monterey product was later cancelled by Cisco, Cerent’s 15454 Sonet platform has been relatively successful for the company.

Russo held the title of optical group vice president until August 2001 when he took on a more strategic role in the company. Russo was replaced by Jayshree Ullal, who came into the position from Cisco’s enterprise line of business.

“Carl has been instrumental in Cisco's optical strategy and building the foundation for our continued momentum in this space. “We appreciate his contributions and wish him well as he pursues his personal interests,” a Cisco spokeswoman said.

The exiting Russo currently sits on the boards of several start-ups including Calix Networks, MobileSys, and Kuokoa Networks.

“He is going to spend more time with his family,” the spokeswoman said.