Broadcom Is Expected to Name Its New Chief

Nine months after Broadcom Corp. co-founder Henry Nicholas quit abruptly to mend his family life, the Irvine chip maker is likely to tap Cisco Systems Inc. Senior Vice President Charles Giancarlo as chief executive, a U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray analyst said.

Giancarlo, 45, a top deputy of Cisco Chief Executive John Chambers, has been at the world’s largest maker of computer-networking equipment since 1994.

He runs divisions including network switching, one of the San Jose company’s biggest product groups.

Analyst Ashok Kumar said in a report issued Monday that “the biggest change Giancarlo could bring to Broadcom would be in attitude.”

Nicholas and Broadcom have “long been known for being alternatively secretive and aggressive, creating antipathy among customers, suppliers, partners and the analyst community,” he said.

Kumar cited sources he didn’t identify, but said in an interview that “this is not speculation.”

Broadcom spokesman Bill Blanning said that “the search is ongoing” for a CEO and wouldn’t elaborate. The company doesn’t “comment on those kinds of rumors or speculation,” he said.

Cisco spokeswoman Penny Bruce said only, “We don’t comment on rumors.”

Giancarlo didn’t return phone calls seeking comment.

In his report, Kumar also wrote that Giancarlo’s “limited general management experience” is his “primary drawback.”

Giancarlo holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from UC Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Brown University.

Director Alan E. Ross has been serving as Broadcom’s interim CEO since Nicholas left to spend more time with his family. When he was appointed in January, Ross said he planned to serve for three to six months before going “back to retirement.”

Broadcom has posted 12 straight quarters of losses, but Ross has predicted that a torrent of new products would help the company get back on its feet.

Among these is a chip that will pack all the electronics needed to run television sets based on cathode ray tubes, liquid crystal displays or plasma screens.

Broadcom shares fell 7 cents to $26.35 on Nasdaq. Cisco shares dropped 24 cents to $20.78.

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Bloomberg News was used in compiling this report.