Semtech Appoints Semiconductor Industry Leader, Hong Q. Hou, as President and CEO

Rhea-AI Summary

Semtech (Nasdaq: SMTC) has appointed Dr. Hong Q. Hou as its new President and CEO, effective June 6, 2024. Dr. Hou, a current board member, replaces Paul H. Pickle, whose departure was due to differences with the board, not related to Semtech's operational or financial performance. The company has stabilized its business by reducing operating expenses and strengthening its financial foundation. Dr. Hou aims to leverage Semtech's innovative technologies in the AI and IoT sectors. Additionally, Semtech has reaffirmed its second-quarter fiscal year 2025 guidance provided on June 5, 2024.

Positive

• Appointment of Dr. Hong Q. Hou as new President and CEO brings expertise in hyperscale and semiconductor industries.
• Stabilization of business by reducing operating expenses and establishing a strong financial foundation.
• Reaffirmation of second-quarter fiscal year 2025 guidance.
• Focus on leveraging innovative technologies and products in AI and IoT sectors.

Negative

• Departure of Paul H. Pickle as President and CEO indicates potential leadership instability.
• Board's decision resulted from differences in views on CEO and board cooperation.

Dr. Hou Brings Technical, Operational and Strategic Leadership in Hyperscale and Semiconductor Industries

Follows Departure of Paul H. Pickle as President and CEO

Reaffirms Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Guidance

CAMARILLO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Semtech Corporation (“Semtech” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: SMTC), a high-performance semiconductor, IoT systems, and connectivity service provider, today announced the appointment of Dr. Hong Q. Hou, a current member of the Semtech Board of Directors, as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective June 6, 2024. Dr. Hou’s appointment follows Paul H. Pickle’s departure as President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We are pleased to have made measurable progress stabilizing the business by reducing operating expenses and establishing a strong financial foundation, positioning Semtech to capture future growth opportunities, and we will continue to maintain that rigor going forward,” said Ye Jane Li, Chair of the Semtech Board’s Nominating and Governance Committee. “Hong is an exceptional leader, and the Board is excited to have him execute the Company’s strategy and take Semtech to its next phase of innovation and growth. Hong brings deep technical, operational and strategic leadership in the hyperscale and semiconductor industries and is already intimately familiar with Semtech’s business.”

“I joined Semtech not only because of my experience with and passion for the industry, but because of this Company’s unique opportunity to leverage its strong team and formidable portfolio of highly innovative technologies and products in supporting AI and IoT revolutions currently underway,” said Dr. Hou. “I am acutely focused on maintaining our financial discipline while we position Semtech to capitalize on the compelling technological trends ahead. I am confident in our goals to generate strong and sustained value for our stockholders long into the future.”

The Company also reaffirmed its second quarter fiscal year 2025 guidance provided on June 5, 2024. Mr. Pickle’s departure is unrelated to Semtech’s operational or financial performance, did not involve a violation of the Company’s code of conduct, and does not have an impact on any previously reported financial statements. The Board’s decision resulted from differences between the Board and Mr. Pickle on how the CEO and the Board should work together in the best interests of stockholders.

About Hong Q. Hou

Dr. Hou has served as a member of the Semtech Board of Directors since July 2023, and is an accomplished multinational executive, recognized as a global enterprise leader with a strong technical and business transformation record in dynamic ultra-competitive markets. Dr. Hou most recently served as president of the Semiconductor Group at Brooks Automation, a leading provider of automated wafer handling and contamination control solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Prior to that, Dr. Hou was Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the cloud and edge networking group of Intel Corporation. He held executive leadership positions at Fabrinet (CTO), AXT (COO), and EMCORE (CEO) before that. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at San Diego and also has completed Executive Management courses at Stanford Business School.

About Semtech

Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC) is a high-performance semiconductor, IoT systems, and cloud connectivity service provider dedicated to delivering high-quality technology solutions that enable a smarter, more connected, and sustainable planet. Our global teams are committed to empowering solution architects and application developers to develop breakthrough products for the infrastructure, industrial and consumer markets. To learn more about Semtech technology, visit us at Semtech.com or follow us on LinkedIn or X.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, based on the Company’s current expectations, estimates and projections about its operations, industry, financial condition, performance, results of operations, and liquidity. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical information or statements of current condition and relate to matters such as future financial performance; future operational performance; the anticipated impact of specific items on future earnings; the Company’s expectations regarding near term growth trends; and the Company’s plans, objectives and expectations. Statements containing words such as “may,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “estimates,” “should,” “could,” “designed to,” “projections,” or “business outlook,” or other similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those projected. Potential factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the Company’s ability to comply with, or pursue business strategies due to the covenants under the agreements governing its indebtedness; the Company’s ability to remediate material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting, discovery of additional weaknesses, and its inability to achieve and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting; the Company’s ability to forecast and achieve anticipated net sales and earnings estimates in light of periodic economic uncertainty; the inherent risks, costs and uncertainties associated with integrating Sierra Wireless successfully and risks of not achieving all or any of the anticipated benefits, or the risk that the anticipated benefits may not be fully realized or take longer to realize than expected; the uncertainty surrounding the impact and duration of supply chain constraints and any associated disruptions; export restrictions and laws affecting the Company’s trade and investments, and tariffs or the occurrence of trade wars; worldwide economic and political disruptions, including as a result of inflation and current geopolitical conflicts; tightening credit conditions related to the United States banking system concerns; competitive changes in the marketplace including, but not limited to, the pace of growth or adoption rates of applicable products or technologies; downturns in the business cycle; decreased average selling prices of the Company’s products; the Company’s reliance on a limited number of suppliers and subcontractors for components and materials; changes in projected or anticipated end-user markets; future responses to and effects of public health crises; and the Company’s ability to forecast its annual non-GAAP normalized tax rate due to material changes that could occur during the fiscal year, which could include, but are not limited to, significant changes resulting from tax legislation, acquisitions, entity structures or operational changes and other significant events. Additionally, forward-looking statements should be considered in conjunction with the cautionary statements contained in the risk factors disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 28, 2024, which was filed with the SEC on March 28, 2024, as such risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by subsequent reports the Company files with the SEC. In light of the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking information included herein that may cause actual performance and results to differ materially from those predicted, any such forward-looking information should not be regarded as representations or guarantees by the Company of future performance or results, or that its objectives or plans will be achieved or that any of its operating expectations or financial forecasts will be realized. Reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information contained herein, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly release the results of any update or revision to any forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated or future events, or otherwise.

Semtech and the Semtech logo are registered trademarks or service marks of Semtech Corporation or its subsidiaries.

SMTC-F

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240607385336/en/

Sara Kesten

Semtech Corporation

(805) 480-2004

webir@semtech.com

Source: Semtech Corporation

FAQ

When will Dr. Hong Q. Hou start as President and CEO of Semtech?

Dr. Hong Q. Hou will start his role as President and CEO on June 6, 2024.

What is the stock symbol for Semtech?

The stock symbol for Semtech is SMTC.

Why did Paul H. Pickle leave Semtech as President and CEO?

Paul H. Pickle left due to differences in views with the board on CEO and board cooperation.

What sectors does Semtech aim to leverage its technologies in?

Semtech aims to leverage its technologies in the AI and IoT sectors.

Has Semtech changed its second-quarter fiscal year 2025 guidance?

No, Semtech has reaffirmed its second-quarter fiscal year 2025 guidance.