Tuesday May 2, 2:22 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
DuPont Photomasks, Inc. Names Peter S.
Kirlin CEO and Chairman
Preston M. Adcox, President and Chief Operating Officer, Elected to Board of
Directors
ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2000--DuPont Photomasks, Inc. (NASDAQ:
DPMI - news) more commonly referred to as DPI, today announced that its board of directors has
named Peter S. Kirlin, Ph.D., chairman of the board and chief executive officer, effective immediately. In
addition, the board of directors announced that Preston M. Adcox, DPI's president and chief operating
officer, has been elected to the board.
Kirlin had been Group Vice President, Technologies and Services, at Connecticut-based ATMI, Inc.
(NASDAQ: ATMI - news), a leading supplier of ultra-high purity materials, equipment and services used
in the manufacture of semiconductors. He replaces interim chairman and chief executive, Marshall C.
Turner. Turner will remain a member of DPI's board.
``Peter's track record of successfully growing high-technology businesses is outstanding,'' Turner said.
``With 15 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, and expertise in high-technology materials
science, he will be able hit the ground running immediately with the DPI team. Peter's experience building
synergistic relationships with customers is another strong asset he brings to our company.''
``Joining DPI is a great opportunity,'' Kirlin said. ``As the photomask supplier of choice to most of the
world's leading semiconductor manufacturers, DPI has created unique partnerships with leading
semiconductor companies to advance photomask technology. One of our current goals is to develop those
relationships and extend DPI's value-added technology, ultimately offering a more comprehensive
offering of products and services and strengthening DPI's competitive advantage. Together, these
strategies should grow shareholder value.''
``DPI is well recognized as having superior technology, innovative and talented employees and strong
partner and customer relationships'' Kirlin continued. ``I look forward to working with the tremendous
potential already in place to capture additional value opportunities from the fundamental changes taking
place in the semiconductor and electronics industries.''
Turner also said, ``We had several strong internal and external candidates for the CEO position. We
believe Peter offers the strongest combination of benefits - a track record of delivering results, leading
innovation and fostering business growth and managing multiple business units. It is a compliment to our
company that we were able to attract Peter to DPI.''
Kirlin spent the last 12 years with ATMI in increasingly responsible positions. Most recently, he was part
of the strategic team that consolidated the disparate businesses within ATMI into two consolidated
operating groups. Kirlin headed the larger of those two groups and was responsible for significant merger
and acquisition activities as well as corporate research, human resources and administration. Previously
he worked at American Cyanamid Corporation as a project leader and conducted post-graduate research
projects at the University of Munich's Institute of Physical Chemistry. He holds a Ph.D. degree in
chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and a B. S. in chemical engineering from
Pennsylvania State University
Adcox joined E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. in 1967 where he held various manufacturing and
technology management positions. In 1988, he became managing director of DuPont's Semiconductor
Materials division, which included the photomask business unit. In 1996, he was appointed president and
chief operating officer of DuPont Photomasks, Inc., coincident with the company's initial public offering
of stock. Adcox served on the board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Suppliers Association
(SISA), (formerly SEMI/SEMATECH,) a non-profit consortium established to support the U.S.
semiconductor supplier infrastructure, from 1988 until 1999. In 1990, he was named a founding member
of the board of directors of Etec Systems, Inc., and he served on the board until 1995. Adcox earned a
bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arkansas and a master's in mechanical
engineering from the University of Florida. |
