Cisco announced last week that it will be bringing R. Scott Herren on board as Chief Financial Officer, on board effective December 18. Herren, an industry veteran with almost four decades in software and tech, will join directly from Autodesk, where he served as CFO since 2014. He will take over from Kelly Kramer, who is retiring after nine years with Cisco.

At Autodesk, Herren had worked on the company's strategic move towards the SaaS model, and he is expected to help drive a similar strategic transformation for Cisco, according to Cisco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chuck Robbins, who said:

"With a background in software, Scott will be instrumental in helping us accelerate our shift towards a software-based business model. Scott's experience operating in complex global environments and proven track record of profitable business growth, prudent financial controls and building winning teams will be a tremendous addition to Cisco."

Robbins also thanked outgoing CFO Kramer, who had announced her retirement in August but stayed on to assist with the transition to her successor.

Prior to Autodesk, Herren was with Citrix Systems for almost 15 years, serving in senior leadership roles around the world. He led the company's finance, accounting, tax, treasury, investor relations, real estate and facilities teams. He also held senior positions in finance and operations at FedEx and IBM.