News: Microelectronics
25 October 2023
Wolfspeed appoints board member Thomas Werner as chairman
Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide materials as well as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power-switching & RF semiconductor devices — says that Thomas Werner, a board member since 2006, has been elected the new chairman of the board. Werner succeeds Darren Jackson, who stepped down as chair after five years in the role. Jackson will continue to serve as a member of Wolfspeed’s board. In addition, board member Stacy Smith will replace John Replogle as chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee.
“Tom is a proven innovator with vast experience in the energy and semiconductor industries, and will provide invaluable leadership as we further scale our operations to meet the growing demand for silicon carbide power devices,” comments president & CEO Gregg Lowe.
“It is my honor to serve as Wolfspeed’s board chair, and help Wolfspeed as it leads the transition from silicon to silicon carbide,” says Werner. “Wolfspeed is on the cusp of truly changing the power electronics industry,” he adds.
Werner has more than 25 years of experience in semiconductor, disruptive technology and energy organizations. He previously served as chairman of the board of directors for SunPower Corp, a publicly traded manufacturer and marketer of high-efficiency solar cells and solar panels, after serving as CEO of SunPower for 18 years.
Smith is executive chairman of Kioxia Corp (formerly Toshiba Memory Corp), a flash memory company, and non-executive chair of the board at design and make technology firm Autodesk Inc. Prior to his board positions, Smith worked at Intel Corp for three decades in roles including group president of sales, manufacturing & operations, chief financial officer, chief information officer, and head of Europe Middle East and Africa.
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