Funny that, we just mentioned Matt Bross (and ran his picture!) the other day for the first time in ages, and then…

The former Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. , BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) and Williams Communications executive -- and loud-tie wearer -- has taken on the role of Chairman and CEO of startup router vendor Compass-EOS , which has developed a router based around on-chip photonics that, the company claims, enables the end product to be smaller, consume less power, have higher port densities, and be easier to scale than traditional packet routing systems. (See Matt Bross Leaves Huawei and 21C World Forum: It's a Tie!)

Of course, it'll need to be something special if it's to eat into the market share held by incumbent IP giants such as Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR), Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD), Huawei, et al.

The appointment follows a new round of funding, the shedding of staff, and a focus on sales and marketing. Bross will share his time between the US and Israel. The company has its main office in Milpitas, Calif., and its R&D operation in Netanya, Israel.

He replaces Gadi Bahat, who, according to the company, had "expressed his wish to pursue new challenges," a phrase that can be interpreted in so many different ways. (See Router Startup Banks $42M, Cuts Staff.) Bross is incredibly well connected, so he will most certainly open doors and get his new company's platform through carrier CTO doors that otherwise might have been tough to break down. Never a dull moment with Bross.

— Ray Le Maistre, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading