Paul Otellini has become Intel’s fifth chief executive
officer. The move was made official at this week’s annual
shareholder meeting after he was chosen last year to succeed Craig
Barrett.
Barrett, Intel CEO since 1998, will become chairman of Intel’s
board of directors. Joint Intel founder Andy Grove will step down
as board chairman, but continue to advise it.
Although Otellini now has the top executive job, Barrett intends
to remain an important figurehead for the company by continuing to
speak at global events.
Otellini comes from a sales and marketing background, and is
Intel’s first CEO without an engineering background. He has been
credited for making Intel more focused on market opportunities
rather than simply developing innovative products.
Otellini was previously president and chief operating officer.
His successor has yet to be found by Intel.
