Earnings

Keysight Names Segment Chief Jason Kary CFO As 13-Year Finance Chief Neil Dougherty Steps Down

Kary takes over December 18, and Dougherty stays on as an adviser through fiscal 2027 while Keysight keeps its fourth-quarter outlook.

Matteo Parrino Jonathan Ponciano

Matteo Parrino, Jonathan Ponciano

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Keysight Names Segment Chief Jason Kary CFO As 13-Year Finance Chief Neil Dougherty Steps Down

Keysight Technologies, which makes electronic design and test hardware, software and services, named Jason Kary chief financial officer on Monday, replacing Neil Dougherty, who is stepping down for personal reasons. Kary, who runs the company's Electronic Industrial Solutions Group, starts December 18, and Keysight said it is not changing its fourth-quarter outlook.

A planned handoff after 13 years

Keysight's board appointed Kary, 58, Senior Vice President and CFO, effective December 18, 2026, according to the company's 8-K. The company called it a planned succession.

Dougherty told the company on October 29 that he would step down. He has been CFO for 13 years and with Keysight for 30, and he will stay in an advisory role through fiscal 2027 to support the transition. The filing says he is leaving for personal reasons, not over any disagreement about operations, policies or practices.

CEO Satish Dhanasekaran thanked Dougherty for helping "build a strong financial model and organization." Dougherty said it had been "a privilege to serve as Keysight's Chief Financial Officer for 13 years."

An insider who knows the investor base

Kary has led the Electronic Industrial Solutions Group, which serves automotive, energy, general electronics, manufacturing, education and semiconductor customers, since November 2024. Before that he was vice president, treasurer and investor relations head, a post the 8-K dates from December 2013 to November 2024 and the press release dates from 2014 to 2024. There he oversaw capital structure, cash, financing, pensions and insurance, and he led investor relations from the company's formation.

His career began at HP in 1996 and ran through Agilent, where he was group CFO of the $1.6 billion Life Sciences Group. He holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

After his promotion, the Electronic Industrial Solutions Group will report to Kailash Narayanan, who runs the Communications Solutions Group. It will remain a separately reported financial segment.

Outlook unchanged, pay still to come

Keysight said demand across its end markets remains strong and it is not updating its earlier outlook for the fiscal fourth quarter. It will report results for the quarter ended October 31 on Thursday, November 19, as scheduled.

Changes to compensation for Kary and Dougherty have not been determined, the 8-K says. The company will report them in an amendment to the filing.

Keysight's fourth-quarter results on November 19 will be the first report since the succession announcement.

Sources

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