Western Digital Appoints Dr. Thomas Caulfield and Miyuki Suzuki to Its Board of Directors
Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) announced the appointment of Dr. Thomas Caulfield and Miyuki Suzuki to its board of directors effective July 6, 2021. Both bring extensive semiconductor and global operational experience, enhancing Western Digital's growth strategy. Caulfield, CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, has over 30 years in the industry while Suzuki has held senior leadership roles across multiple sectors. Their expertise aligns with Western Digital's commitment to innovation in memory technology, positioning the company for growth in the rapidly expanding Asia-Pacific market.
- Appointment of industry veterans Dr. Thomas Caulfield and Miyuki Suzuki expected to enhance the board's expertise.
- Both appointees bring significant semiconductor and global operational experience, complementing Western Digital's growth strategy.
- Strong positioning in the expanding Asia-Pacific market due to investments in memory technology.
- Concerns about continuity, given the new perspectives from recently appointed board members.
Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) today announced that Dr. Thomas (Tom) Caulfield and Miyuki Suzuki have been appointed to its board of directors effective July 6, 2021. Caulfield, currently CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES® and Suzuki, a Japanese-based, Fortune 100 business leader, bring semiconductor and global operating experience that complements Western Digital’s growth and innovation strategy.
“With semiconductor operations across the Asia-Pacific region including our joint venture with Kioxia in Japan, Western Digital makes significant investment in developing memory technology that is extremely complex. This innovation is foundational to the data infrastructure that people around the world rely on every day,” said Matthew E. Massengill, chairman, Western Digital. “Both Tom and Miyuki have strong track records of professional success and deep subject-matter expertise that will add valuable perspective to Western Digital. They will each play an influential role as members of our board and I look forward to working together.”
A demonstrated leader with over 30 years of semiconductor industry experience, Caulfield’s extensive career spans roles in engineering, management and global operations. Prior to being named CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES in 2018, he was senior vice president and general manager of the company’s 300 mm semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility (Fab 8). Prior to that, Caulfield held senior executive positions at several leading technology companies including IBM and Novellus Systems, Inc.
“The semiconductor industry is core to the world’s economy and is projected to double over the next eight years,” said Tom Caulfield, CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “Western Digital is the only company in the world that manufactures both hard disk drives and Flash data storage devices and is strongly positioned to take advantage of this growth opportunity. As a manufacturing executive at heart, I’m excited to join the board at this time to support the company as it navigates its growth and product strategies.”
Currently serving as a director on the boards of MetLife Japan and Jera, Japan’s largest power generation company, Suzuki has over 35 years of leadership experience in the technology, telecommunications and airlines industries. With deep global operations expertise that spans across the Asia Pacific region, she most recently was president of Asia Pacific, Japan and China at Cisco. Prior to that, she also has held senior leadership roles at Jetstar Airways, LexisNexis, Japan Telecom and Thomson Reuters Corporation. Suzuki holds a master of arts degree in History from the University of Oxford.
“I have spent most of my career in roles leading operational teams in Asia Pacific countries and have always admired Western Digital’s commitment to investing in the region and building strong partnerships with local technology companies and governments,” said Miyuki Suzuki. “Data storage is a foundational capability in a digital world where emerging technologies such as cloud computing, 5G, Internet of things and artificial intelligence continue to advance. With its culture of continuous innovation, Western Digital is poised to gain a strong position in the rapidly expanding Asia Pacific markets. I am honored to join a board comprising so much diversity, talent and wealth of professional experience.”
With these appointments, Western Digital's board is comprised of ten directors, nine of whom are external and independent and five of whom are women.
About Western Digital
Western Digital, a leader in data infrastructure, creates environments for data to thrive. The company is driving the innovation needed to help customers capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. Everywhere data lives, from advanced data centers to mobile sensors to personal devices, the company's industry-leading solutions deliver the possibilities of data. Western Digital data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk® and WD® brands.
© 2021 Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Western Digital, the Western Digital logo, G-Technology, SanDisk, and WD are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
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