AMD finally hires a new CEO

CHIP DESIGN HOUSE AMD has finally appointed a CEO to replace Dirk Meyer, six months late.

The firm has been rudderless since Dirk Meyer left the CEO chair spinning last January. Months later AMD played the 'we are in no rush' card, but only after it was revealed that Apple's COO Tim Cook, Oracle's co-president Mark Hurd, EMC's COO Pat Gelsinger and Carlyle Group managing director Greg Summer had all turned the job down.

Step up then Rory P. Read, who until last night was at Lenovo. This morning he is assessing the view out of his corner office window at AMD and deciding how best to lay out his new title, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMD, on his business cards.

"Rory is a proven leader with an impressive record of driving profitable growth," said Bruce Claflin, chairman of AMD's board of directors.

"He is ideally suited to accelerate AMD's evolution into the world's leading semiconductor design company. As President and COO of Lenovo he helped take the company into dynamic new markets while growing market share and expanding profitability. His sound strategic thinking and natural customer orientation will help amplify the voice of the customer inside AMD."

A conference call to discuss the appointment is scheduled for later today, so for now we will make do with Read's acceptance statement.

"I'm very pleased to be joining AMD at this important time in its history. AMD is a true innovator and is uniquely positioned to lead the industry forward, delivering the next big thing both within the PC ecosystem and beyond," he said. µ