Get to know Rami Rahim, EVP, President and GM of HPE Networking

1. What first sparked your interest in technology?

I received my first personal computer in the 1980s, and I was immediately captivated—especially by the intersection of computing and graphics. That experience ignited two passions: technology and the arts. As a teen, I used to spend countless hours locked up in my room creating art on my PC. While my time for creating graphic art has diminished over the years, my enthusiasm for technology has stayed with me throughout my career.

2. Can you share your educational and professional journey leading to Juniper Networks?

I earned my electrical engineering degree from the University of Toronto and worked briefly in computer graphics before pursuing a master’s degree at Stanford. I joined Juniper Networks as employee number 32. I started as the most junior engineer and eventually became CEO, a role I held for ten years.

3. What motivates you to work in such a fast-paced and competitive industry?

I’m driven by the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from brilliant minds and to build technology that has a meaningful impact on the world. Our customers are solving some of the planet’s most pressing challenges – from clean energy to medical breakthroughs – and our technology plays a role in enabling those solutions. That’s incredibly motivating.

4. What excites you most about the combination of HPE and Juniper Networks?

I’m honored to lead the HPE Networking business. We have the opportunity to accelerate innovation across the technology stack and disrupt the networking industry – at a time when networking has never been more relevant. Working closely with Antonio Neri and the HPE leadership team, I believe we’ll accomplish extraordinary things and deliver unparalleled solutions for our customers.

5. How would your colleagues describe your leadership style?

I believe they would describe me as authentic, optimistic, and someone who leads by example.  I think leaders should be sources of energy, not drains, and I strive to embody that every day.

6. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received?

The best advice came from my parents when I was actually quite young. Their advice was simply “never give up”. Challenges are inevitable, but I’ve always been motivated by the opportunity to prove skeptics wrong – especially when people count me or my team out.

7. What might people be surprised to learn about you?

I do a bit of poetry writing (though some might say my writings more closely resemble rap lyrics than poems….)  It started as a fun way to connect with my daughter and has become a bit of a hobby. I have even (reluctantly) performed my rap poems in front of people, including at a recent birthday celebration for my wife.