Steve Mollenkopf has taken over as chief executive officer of Qualcomm and Dr. Paul E. Jacobs is now executive chairman of the Board of Directors.
As CEO, Mollenkopf will assume overall responsibility for Qualcomm, including all lines of business and all functional groups in the Company. In his role as executive chairman, Dr. Jacobs will help guide the development of new technology and Qualcomm’s long-term opportunities.
“I couldn’t be more honored and energized to lead the Company through these exciting times,” said Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm. “I see numerous opportunities in the coming years for both Qualcomm and the greater industry. Since our founding more than 28 years ago, Qualcomm has been an enabler of the mobile ecosystem and with the support and collaboration of our partners, Qualcomm will continue to push the boundaries of mobile technology.”
Mollenkopf has been with Qualcomm for more than 20 years in a variety of leadership positions. Most recently, as the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer, he oversaw a number of Qualcomm’s investments in technologies that have propelled smartphones into the mainstream and made smartphones the indispensable tools they are today. During Mollenkopf ‘s tenure, Qualcomm has become a leader in a broad range of mobile technologies, including computing, graphics, multimedia chipsets, and 3G and 4G modems.
Prior to his role as President and COO, Mollenkopf led the Company’s chipset business, overseeing the launch of 4G technology and making Qualcomm the world’s largest mobile chipset supplier and a global leader in LTE technology. Over the years, Mollenkopf has guided the Company through the worldwide expansion of CDMA technology, the introduction of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) technology and the launch of 4G/LTE systems. Mollenkopf also spearheaded the Company’s $3.1 billion acquisition of Atheros. This was the Company’s largest acquisition to date, helping expand Qualcomm’s technologies and platforms beyond smartphones into new platforms and segments.
Mollenkopf is a published IEEE author and holds seven patents in areas such as power estimation and measurement, multi-standard transmitters and wireless communication transceiver technology. He serves as chairman of the Global Semiconductor Alliance and a member of the Board of Directors for the Semiconductor Industry Association.
