The big-data analytics company Guavus has snagged a new CEO, Manish Goel, who previously served as executive vice president of product operations at the storage and data management company NetApp.

Guavus announced the hiring Thursday morning and said Anukool Lakhina, the company's founder and previous CEO, "handpicked Goel as his successor." Lakhina will remain with the company in a yet-to-be-decided role that will let him work more closely with customers and "focus on innovation" as it seeks additional markets.

The company said in a press release that Goel will help the company further expand its analytics applications for communication service providers and enterprises globally.

Why this matters
Guavus announced its new CEO the same week it won a Leading Lights Award for Private Company of the Year. The innovative vendor landed the award because of its rapid growth, funding, and operator wins. It is now a prime candidate for an IPO or acquisition, with industry gossip citing Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) as a potential buyer. What's more, it's operating in a hot space -- big-data analytics -- that has seen a rash of acquisitions of late. (See: Light Reading Announces 2013 Leading Lights Winners, IBM Acquires Analytics Expert, and 2013 Leading Lights Finalists: Company of the Year (Private).)

The seven-year-old company has raised more than $87 million in funding and acquired a rival, Neuralitic Systems. Its customers include Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S), Verizon Wireless , and possibly AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T).

Shaking up its senior management by bringing in a new CEO could be the next step in its path to going public or making itself more attractive to suitors.

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— Sarah Reedy, Senior Editor, Light Reading