Skype announced today that it has appointed Tony Bates its new CEO and Board member. He was previously Senior Vice President of Cisco and General Manager of Cisco’s Enterprise, Commercial and Small Business Division.

He was responsible for over $20 billion of annual revenue and the company’s  Borderless Networks, DataCenter and Collaboration architectures. He managed over 12,500 employees for Cisco. 

He also served as General Manager of Cisco’s Service Provider Group, responsible for annual revenue of $10 billion. 

"Skype is not only a powerful global brand but also a global technology leader in Internet communications," said Bates. "There are extraordinary opportunities ahead for Skype and I am eager to lead the company through this exciting juncture in its continuing transformation. 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."

"We are thrilled to bring on Tony Bates as Skype’s new CEO," said Miles Flint, Chairman of Skype’s Board of Directors. "His record of achievement and significant operational and management expertise, cultivated over a distinguished tenure at one of the world’s preeminent technology companies, presents a unique opportunity for Skype that we are enthusiastic to embrace."

Outgoing CEO Josh Silverman said, "I am proud to have led Skype’s growth during this critical transition period. 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."

Bates will join Skype as CEO at the end of the month. In the meantime, Skype CFO Adrian Dillon will assume the responsibilities.