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Also Known As Gary B. Smith, Smith
CEO of Ciena
Gary B. Smith is a currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Ciena, Inc.(CIEN) an American telecommunications networking multinational.
From 1995-1997, Smith served as vice president for sales and marketing at Intelsat, a global provider of fixed satellite services. He also previously served as vice president of sales and marketing for Cray Communications, Inc.
Smith joined Ciena in 1997 and has served as president and CEO since May 2001. Prior to serving as CEO, Smith served as Ciena's chief operating officer; and prior to that, senior vice president of worldwide sales. Smith joined Ciena in November 1997 as vice president of international sales. He has served on Ciena's board of directors since October 2000.
During his tenure as CEO, Smith has led the acquisition of seven companies. Most recent is the acquisition of the Optical Networking and Carrier Ethernet assets of bankrupt Nortel's Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN) for $774 million. This acquisition, which closed on March 19, 2010, doubled Ciena's size from around 2,100 to 4,000 employees and significantly increased total revenues.In November 2011, Smith was interviewed by Light Reading about Ciena's acquisition history.
Since the first full year of Smith's tenure as CEO, Ciena's revenues have gone from $361 million in fiscal year ended 2002 to $2.1 billion in fiscal 2013
Smith was born in Birmingham, United Kingdom, and received an MBA from the Ashridge Management College, now part of Hult International Business School.
Smith now resides in Maryland with his wife and two sons, and has dual citizenship in the United States and United Kingdom. He is an avid photographer.
In November 2011, industry publication Light Reading inducted Smith into their Light Reading Hall of Fame, based primarily on his achievements and "staying power" during his 10 years as CEO of Ciena.
