Nanometrics Board of Directors Names Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre President and CEO
MILPITAS, Calif., Nov. 13, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nanometrics Incorporated (NASDAQ:NANO), a leading provider of advanced process control systems, today announced that Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre will join the company as its president and chief executive officer, effective November 27th. Dr. Lesaicherre has also been elected to the Nanometrics board of directors, which he will join on the same date.
Commenting on the appointment, Chairman Bruce C. Rhine said, “We are pleased to announce the selection of Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre as our next CEO. His leadership experience in the semiconductor industry extends over 20 years, and his wealth of technological expertise in the semiconductor capital equipment industry surpasses well over 30 years. Pierre-Yves has demonstrated operational excellence, technology leadership, and strategic vision, most recently as CEO of Lumileds, a $2 billion revenue company. Pierre-Yves’ experience managing billion-dollar growth businesses makes him exceptionally well-suited to lead the company through our next phase of growth and market leadership.”
Dr. Lesaicherre, 54, most recently served as CEO of Lumileds, a provider of innovative LED solutions for the automotive, mobile, television, IoT and illumination markets. He was CEO from 2012 until 2017, during which time LED revenue nearly doubled despite the challenging competitive environment, and the company grew to $2 billion in revenues, with over 9,000 employees worldwide. Prior to Lumileds, Dr. Lesaicherre was senior vice president and general manager at NXP Semiconductors, from 2006 until 2011. During his tenure at NXP, he managed three semiconductor product lines, which together totaled over $700 million in sales. From 1998 until 2006, Dr. Lesaicherre served in various technical, product and business line management positions at Philips Semiconductors, following five years at NEC Semiconductor in DRAM process development. Dr. Lesaicherre holds an MBA from INSEAD, and holds both a PhD and MS in Materials Science from the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble, France.
“It is an honor and an incredible opportunity to lead Nanometrics through this next phase of growth and execution,” said Dr. Lesaicherre. “Nanometrics has a reputation for technology and market leadership, along with an incredible culture that focuses on customer results while also enjoying a positive team atmosphere. The combination of great technologies and products, a solid track record of profitable revenue growth and industry outperformance, and a group of very talented employees in a dynamic company culture, present an exciting CEO opportunity and an ideal fit with my leadership experience.”
Current CEO, Dr. Timothy Stultz added, “I am truly pleased that Pierre-Yves will be joining Nanometrics as our CEO. His impressive track record as the CEO of a large company focused on profitable growth in a highly competitive environment, combined with his deep technical background in semiconductor manufacturing and solid business operations experience, are a great match to the challenges of continued growth and shareholder value creation at Nanometrics. I look forward to working with him personally to effect a seamless transition in leadership, as well as continuing my service on our Board of Directors.”
“We appreciate and thank Tim for his leadership over the last 10 years as CEO of Nanometrics,” concluded Mr. Rhine. “Tim has done an exceptional job of growing Nanometrics, creating shareholder value and positioning the company as a leader in the industry. I am delighted that Tim has agreed to continue to serve on the Board of Directors and work closely with Pierre-Yves to ensure a smooth and effective CEO transition.”
About Nanometrics
Nanometrics is a leading provider of advanced, high-performance process control metrology and inspection systems used primarily in the fabrication of semiconductors and other solid-state devices, including sensors, optoelectronic devices, high-brightness LEDs, discretes and data storage components. Nanometrics' automated and integrated metrology systems measure critical dimensions, device structures, topography and various thin film properties, including three-dimensional features and film thickness, as well as optical, electrical and material properties. The company's process control solutions are deployed throughout the fabrication process, from front-end-of-line substrate manufacturing, to high-volume production of semiconductors and other devices, to advanced three-dimensional wafer-level packaging applications. Nanometrics' systems enable advanced process control for device manufacturers, providing improved device yield at reduced manufacturing cycle time, supporting the accelerated product life cycles in the semiconductor and other advanced device markets. The company maintains its headquarters in Milpitas, California, with sales and service offices worldwide. Nanometrics is traded on NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol NANO. Nanometrics' website is http://www.nanometrics.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release found in Mr. Rhine’s and Dr. Stultz's quotes regarding future performance are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in this release. Although Nanometrics believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from these expectations due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: decreased levels of industry spending; slowing adoption rate of Nanometrics' new products; Nanometrics' inability to gain additional market share, increase sales, ship products as scheduled, achieve customer acceptance of new products, or outperform the industry; decreased demand for Nanometrics' products; shifts in the timing of customer orders and product shipments; technology adoption rates; changes in customer and product mix; changes in market share; changes in operating expenses; and general economic conditions. For additional information and considerations regarding the risks faced by Nanometrics that could cause actual results to differ materially, see its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 3, 2017 including under the caption "Risk Factors," as well as other periodic reports filed with the SEC from time to time. Nanometrics disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.
Investor Relations Contact: Claire McAdams Headgate Partners LLC 530.265.9899 claire@headgatepartners.com Company Contact: Jeff Andreson CFO 408.545.6143 jandreson@nanometrics.com
