KLA-Tencor Promotes Gary Dickerson to President and Chief Operating Officer
SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ken Schroeder, chief executive officer (CEO) of global semiconductor yield management leader, KLA-Tencor Corp. (Nasdaq: KLAC - News), announced today that he and the board of directors have promoted Gary Dickerson, the company's chief operating officer (COO), to president and COO.
According to Schroeder, the move comes at one of the most exciting times in the company's history and acknowledges Dickerson's pivotal role within KLA-Tencor. "Since appointing Gary to COO in 1999, he has expertly led the company through some of the most trying times in the industry," stated Schroeder. "Along the way, he has enhanced our strategic position-enabling KLA-Tencor to deliver industry-leading financial performance while boosting customer satisfaction and significantly expanding both the breadth and depth of our technology and product portfolio."
In his new position, Dickerson will spearhead all day-to-day operations at KLA-Tencor, freeing Schroeder to focus on the company's strategic direction and corporate growth. Commenting on his new role, Dickerson noted that he plans to stay steadfast in his focus on delivering results. "Over the years, we have amassed one of the strongest executive teams in the industry," stated Dickerson. "That team is absolutely committed to accelerating yield learning for our customers to ensure their production success on challenging technology transitions. Consistent with this focus on customer satisfaction, we intend to make sure that today's global chipmakers consistently have access to the leading-edge yield management technologies they need to speed time to market and time to profit on their next-generation devices."
Dickerson added that his sentiments have not changed since first accepting the role of COO. "A great company is one that balances leading-edge technologies, outstanding customer service and an excellent work environment. My goal is to make sure KLA-Tencor remains that kind of company."
Dickerson began his semiconductor industry career as a KLA customer in 1980, working for General Motors' Delco Electronics Division. There, he held positions as a manufacturing supervisor for lithography, thin-film and metals operations, and later as a manufacturing development engineer, managing photomask operations for all MOS and bipolar operations. Prior to joining KLA-Tencor in 1986, he also served as a photo section head at AT&T Technologies.
During his 15-year stint with KLA Instruments and later KLA-Tencor, Dickerson held a variety of engineering and management positions. Prior to becoming COO in 1999, he served as executive vice president of the Wafer Inspection Group, KLA-Tencor's largest business. Prior to that, Dickerson ran the Customer Group, where he was responsible for all sales and support. Dickerson holds a bachelor's of science degree in engineering management from the University of Missouri, Rolla, and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Schroeder concluded by saying that KLA-Tencor is creating the management infrastructure needed to drive a company two to three times its current size. "During his more than two decades of experience, Gary has distinguished himself as not only a strong leader, but also a technology visionary and an operational expert. He is ideally suited to help drive the company forward as we prepare to capitalize on the ever-growing process control sector that KLA-Tencor pioneered and still leads today."
About KLA-Tencor: KLA-Tencor is the world leader in yield management and process control solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and related industries. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with operations around the world, KLA-Tencor ranked #6 on S&P's 2002 index of the top 500 companies in the U.S. KLA-Tencor is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol KLAC. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at kla-tencor.com .
SOURCE: KLA-Tencor Corp. |
