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3Com names Claflin CEO
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September 28, 2000: 3:36 p.m. ET
Current president to assume post from Benhamou, who remains chairman
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Computer networking company 3Com said Thursday that Eric Benhamou, its current chairman and CEO, will step down from the CEO role at the start of next year.
Bruce Claflin, 3Com's current president and chief operating officer, will become CEO Jan. 1, 2001. Benhamou will continue as chairman, the company said.
Benhamou appointed Claflin as 3Com's president and chief operating officer in August 1998. In that role, Claflin is responsible for 3Com's (COMS: Research, Estimates) worldwide operations including all product and service businesses, sales and marketing. 
Before joining 3Com, Claflin worked for Digital Equipment Corp. and IBM. At Digital, Claflin served as senior vice president and general manager for sales and marketing. At IBM, where he worked for 22 years, Claflin held several senior positions, including leading the team responsible for introducing IBM's ThinkPad line of mobile computers.
Behamou has been CEO of 3Com since 1990. He joined 3Com when Bridge Communications, a company he co-founded, merged with 3Com in 1987. His departure from the CEO role comes as 3Com is finishing a major restructuring. The company, which has lagged far behind competitors such as Cisco Systems and Lucent, recently spun off its Palm division, which makes personal digital assistants.
Palm (PALM: Research, Estimates), which was a tiny division within 3Com just three years ago, now has a market value of $29.4 billion, while 3Com is worth only $6.2 billion.
"This transition is taking place at the right time for the right reasons and to the right person," Benhamou said. "3Com has completed a radical strategic transformation and entered a new phase of growth. Clearly, Bruce Claflin is the right person to continue this positive momentum." 
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