Qualcomm is a name that many might associate with mobile processors found inside of smartphones and tablets, and for good reason, but there’s a lot more to Qualcomm than just its silicon. Qualcomm is steadily moving into other markets, and have been instrumental in creating 4G LTE networks and are set to help shape the future of 5G, too. Regardless, 2015 was not a good year for the company. It wasn’t quite as bad as some might make out, but missing out on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge and shipping a processor that didn’t meet people’s expectations from Qualcomm didn’t do wonders for their bottom line. The Snapdragon 820 is already looking like a strong product for the San Diego firm, and they’re making a big new signing this week, too.
In a press release, the firm has announced that Mary Gendron will be joining the firm as a Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Gendron is being tipped as something of an industry legend, having served a similar CIO role at Pharmaceutical giant Hospira and Celestica International while also filling Senior IT roles at firms like Bell Canada and even Motorola. All-in-all, she has 25 years of experience in high level IT roles and George David, Qualcomm’s Chief Financial Officer had this to say: “Mary has a proven track record of partnering with businesses to understand their needs while driving major projects to improve operational efficiency”.
Signing someone like Mary might not be the sort of thing that excites onlookers, but it’s an important move for Qualcomm. Not only does Gendron have experience from other communications firms like Bell Canada and Motorola, but she will also be able to help keep Qualcomm secure. According to her LinkedIn profile, Gendron will also be in charge of ensuring that Qualcomm will have best-in-class defence against cyber attacks. Considering that Qualcomm’s technology fuels many of the most popular devices in both North America as well as China, it’s no surprise that Qualcomm are starting to look over their shoulder a little more seriously. This new signing should help Qualcomm streamline things further and ensure that big project launches have the infrastructure they need to get off the ground properly.