Two Cisco execs get expanded roles as Chambers succession looms

Oct 4 (Reuters) - Networking equipment company Cisco Systems

is expanding the roles of two executives that it has identified as possible candidates to succeed long-serving Chief Executive John Chambers.

Cisco said on Thursday that Chief Operating Officer Gary Moore, 63, will also assume the role of president overseeing end-to-end operations and aligning all businesses with Cisco's long-term strategy. Moore was named Cisco's COO in February 2011.

In addition, Cisco said that Rob Lloyd, 56, who has led the company's global operations since April 2009, will assume responsibility for Cisco's development and sales units.

"You're seeing both of those leaders taking a major step forward in terms of their responsibilities and expectations and you will see me staying focused on strategy," Chambers told Reuters on Thursday.

"Our goal is to make this transition not just at my level very smooth. The way you do that is to move people around functionally and to give them more responsibility and then see how they do," Cha mbers said.

Chambers, who took the helm at Cisco in 1995 and turned the small company into a multi-billion operation, has said he aims to step down in two to four years.

(Reporting By Nicola Leske; Editing by Peter Lauria)

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Keywords: CISCO SUCCESSION/