Bikash Koley, a key figure in Google's network development, has been named Juniper CTO, replacing founder and Juniper figurehead Pradeep Sindhu.

Koley's current title is distinguished engineer and head of network architecture, engineering and planning. But you might also know him as a frequent speaker at Light Reading events, where he expounded on topics including SDN, optical networking and automation.

Koley also helped start OpenConfig, an open source effort to model an entire network topology, Layers 0 through 7, as a step toward automating configuration and management. (See Google, AT&T, BT Unite on Network Data Models.)

In February, Sindhu announced that he would step down as Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) CTO to focus his attention on a startup called Fungible. (See Juniper Co-Founder Sindhu Steps Back.)

Even in the face of Juniper's multiple CEO transitions since 2013, Sindhu's departure marked a life-changing moment, as he'd helped found the company in 1996 and built it into a credible competitor to Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO). (See Juniper Eyes SDN Sales, CEO Steps Down, Juniper Names New CEO and New Juniper CEO Can Be Thankful for $14.5M.)

Koley is "anticipated" to start his new job in August, according to Juniper's press release. He'll report to CEO Rami Rahim.

Koley has a full Layer 0-7 education himself. He's worked in the optical network realm at Ciena and startup Qstreams Networks, and while at Google, he helped oversee the adoption of SDN.

Here's a rundown of his previous talks at LR events:

And if you're in the mood for nostalgia, check out our 2004 Q&A with Sindhu:

— Craig Matsumoto, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading