Qualcomm has named its president Cristiano Amon as the company’s new chief executive officer (CEO). Amon, who has been serving the chip giant as president since January 2018, will replace the outgoing CEO Steve Mollenkopf, effective June 30, 2021.
Mollenkopf began his Qualcomm career as an engineer some 26 years back. Over the years, he has served the company as president and chief operating officer (COO). He also led the company’s chipset business. He took over as CEO in 2014.
During his tenure as CEO, Qualcomm cemented its position as the global leader in the mobile processor industry. He drove the development and launch of 5G globally and oversaw Qualcomm’s expansion into the Internet of Things (IoT), RF Front End, and Automotive.
Mollenkopf also faced numerous challenges during his time as CEO of Qualcomm though. Back in January 2017, the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had sued the company for anti-competitive practices. Qualcomm did win that case though. That was followed by a massive fight with Apple over patent licensing practices. The two companies reached a settlement in April 2019.
Now, after 26 years at the company, the 52-year-old Mollenkopf has decided to retire. He informed the Board of Directors of his decision to retire at the end of June 2021. He will continue his association with the company as a “strategic advisor” for an unspecified period of time though.
“I am immensely proud of all that we have accomplished at Qualcomm and the position the company currently enjoys as the world’s leader in wireless technologies,” Mollenkopf said. “Qualcomm is well-positioned for the future and I am confident that with Cristiano as CEO, the company will continue to invent leading technologies and create value for all of our stakeholders.”
Cristiano Amon will take over as the new Qualcomm CEO
The Qualcomm Board of Directors has unanimously selected Cristiano Amon to succeed Mollenkopf as CEO. Amon himself has been at the company since 1995, joining as an engineer. He has held several business and technical leadership positions at the company over the years. As the president, Amon is currently responsible for Qualcomm’s semiconductor business.
The 50-year-old Brazilian is overseeing Qualcomm’s push to lower the entry price point of 5G smartphones with affordable 5G-capable chipsets. However, the company is also feeling the heat from MediaTek. The Taiwanese semiconductor giant surpassed Qualcomm to become the biggest smartphone chipset vendor globally for the first time in Q3 2020.
So Amon certainly does have his task cut out as he prepares to take on CEO duties at Qualcomm. He will retain his role as the president as well, at least for the time being.
“I am honored to be named the next CEO of Qualcomm and appreciate the confidence that Steve and the Board have in me,” Amon said. “I look forward to working with our 41,000 employees around the world to create technologies that revolutionize the way people live, work, and connect with each other.”