The chairman of networking equipment vendor Enterasys has stepped in as caretaker boss following the unexpected death of its chief exec, Michael Fabiaschi, on Monday.

Fabiaschi, 53, "died suddenly overnight" on 22 September at his home in Rye, New Hampshire, according to a statement by Enterasys. The cause of death was not revealed. Mark Stone, Enterasys chairman, has been appointed as interim chief exec.

Fabiaschi worked at Enterasys for two years. He joined from CA, where he led the performance management software business, and was responsible for launching the company into the telecoms market. Further back, Fabiaschi served as chief exec of Aprisma, a fault and performance management company spun out from Enterasys in 2002, before it was brought back into the fold in 2006.

Enterasys lauded Fabiaschi for transforming the firm from an engineering-led to a customer-driven business. The firm was keen to stress that its business strategy and relationships would be unaffected by its chief exec's death.

Fabiaschi is survived by a wife and two daughters. ®

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