GSA Announces Dr. Nicky Lu and Joep van Beurden as the Newly Appointed Chairman and Vice Chairman, Respectively, to the GSA Board

GSA Affirms Role as the Most Influential Voice of the Global Semiconductor Industry

• Press Release
• Source: GSA
• On 11:00 am EST, Tuesday November 10, 2009

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), the global voice for the semiconductor industry, today announces the appointment of Dr. Nicky Lu, chairman and chief executive officer, Etron Technology, as its chairman of the board and Joep van Beurden, chief executive officer of CSR plc, as its vice chairman of the board. Dr. Lu and Mr. van Beurden are to assume their positions on December 1, 2009 and will each serve for two years through December 1, 2011. The new appointments demonstrate the GSA’s commitment to have leadership that reflects the globalization of the semiconductor industry. Both Dr. Lu and Mr. van Beurden were appointed according to the GSA’s new methodology of choosing its leadership, where senior positions on the board rotate through each geographic region.

Dr. Nicky Lu is the founder and chief executive officer of Etron Technology. He has dedicated his career to the worldwide IC design and semiconductor industry. He founded Etron Technology in 1991, and co-founded several other high-tech companies, which are now public. Dr. Lu received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from National Taiwan University and M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He has won numerous IBM recognition awards, including an IBM Corporate Award while working for IBM. He holds over 24 U.S. patents and has published more than 50 technical papers. Dr. Lu has been instrumental in the establishment of the GSA in Asia Pacific and has served as the Chairman of the APAC Leadership Council for the GSA since 2003.

“I am honored that the GSA board of directors has appointed me as their Chairman,” commented Dr. Lu. “The industry is constantly evolving, and GSA has been at the forefront of articulating the challenges of our industry and promoting collaboration among semiconductor companies and their partners. I am eager to contribute to the GSA’s ongoing mission of advancing our industry through its educational and supportive role of bringing organizations together to address the inefficiencies affecting the supply-chain ecosystem,” stated Lu.

Mr. van Beurden serves as chief executive officer of CSR plc, a position he has held since November 2007. He has over ten years experience in managing technology companies in the US and Europe, including as CEO for NexWave Inc., a provider of embedded software solutions for the consumer electronics market based in France, senior positions at Canesta Inc., a US fabless semiconductor company and at Philips Components. Mr. van Beurden holds a Masters degree in Applied Physics from Twente University of Technology in Enschede, the Netherlands.

“It is a privilege to have been chosen to represent the GSA board of directors as its vice chairman. The GSA has, over the years, proven its commitment to excellent service and continued to support the globalization of our industry’s voice,” said Mr. van Beurden. “The GSA’s vision consistently enhances the industry’s ability to adapt to future trends that affect our market outlook,” van Beurden continued. “I look forward to lending my knowledge and experience to advance the GSA’s commitment as the most prominent advocate of the global semiconductor industry.”

“We believe that the preeminent duo of Nicky and Joep will elevate the role of the GSA, and under their tenure the GSA will continue its growth. Their appointment is an extension of the global transition that the GSA had initiated in 2007 from the Fabless Semiconductor Association to the Global Semiconductor Alliance, a truly global organization,” said Jodi Shelton, president of the GSA. “With the appointment of these two dynamic leaders, the GSA is advancing its role in the global semiconductor industry by demonstrating its dedication to a global leadership model whereby each major region – Asia-Pacific, Japan, EMEA and North America - will be the voice to guide the GSA through each phase of its development,” Shelton further commented.

The GSA’s focus moving forward is multi-faceted and includes:

• The continued support our dedicated interest groups that are focused on each of the critical supply areas as well as critical market applications for fostering the growth of new markets.
• Engaging further with OEMs through direct relationships or alliances to further unveil opportunities for our member companies.
• Ensuring that there is an efficient ecosystem in place for analog/mixed-signal companies.
• Supporting regional interests including, but not limited to, playing a supporting role in education of local and national governments.
• Expanding our objectives to address the unique and vital memory market.
• Building upon our initial global alliances to ensure that our members’ needs are being met through both the GSA and our regional, local or sector partners.
• Providing economic analysis directly for CEOs and CFOs through the GSA’s own data analysis and survey collection as well as key financial and economic alliances.

To learn more about GSA board of directors, please visit: http://www.gsaglobal.org/association/councils/bod.asp

About GSA:

The Global Semiconductor Alliance’s (GSA) mission is to accelerate the growth and increase the return on invested capital of the global semiconductor industry by fostering a more effective fabless ecosystem through collaboration, integration and innovation. It addresses the challenges within the supply chain including IP, EDA/design, wafer manufacturing, test and packaging to enable industry-wide solutions. Providing a platform for meaningful global collaboration, the Alliance identifies and articulates market opportunities, encourages and supports entrepreneurship, and provides members with comprehensive and unique market intelligence. Members include companies throughout the supply chain representing 25 countries across the globe. www.gsaglobal.org

Global Semiconductor Alliance
Nicole Bowman, 972-866-7579, ext. 129
Senior Marketing Manager
nbowman@gsaglobal.org