Sunday, August 1, 1999
It was tough deciding whether to put Piyush Patel in the corporate category or the entrepreneurship category -- in the past year he has crossed the chasm between Silicon Valley-style entrepreneurship, and by-the-book corporate America.
Signs of trouble were already evident around the time that networking industry underdog Cabletron acquired Yago Systems, Patel’s pioneering gigabit Ethernet company. Yago beat simultaneous competition from 45 startups to be the first to roll out product (see the cover story "Gigabit Fast Moves," siliconindia, October ’98). In a sector where what is pioneering in the morning is commodity by late afternoon, Yago moved fast early last year to leverage its technical advantage, and became part of the large sales infrastructure -- a strategy critical to its survival and part of its original business plan.
Yet, despite the Yago acquisition and a competitive, quality product line, Cabletron’s growth was sagging and the company was losing market share. There had been numerous changes in the company’s management lineup before Craig Benson, Cabletron founder, handed over the top slot to Patel. Within months of leading Yago to a high value acquisition by Cabletron, Patel became chairman and CEO of the parent company -- with the mandate to solve its severe problems. An East Coast company, Cabletron needed a shot of West Coast entrepreneurial paranoia, and that is what Patel is expected to bring, along with a youthful vigor and a disarming leadership style. This award represents hope and promise for Patel, and for his nearly 6,000 Cabletron colleagues. May his leadership give the company the momentum that it needs to thrive in the hi-tech industry.
