SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS), one of the world's premier technology
licensing companies, today announced that the Company’s Board of
Directors has terminated Dr. Ron Black as Chief Executive Officer,
effective immediately.
The termination follows an incident unrelated to the Company’s financial
and business performance in which the Board determined Dr. Black’s
conduct fell short of the Company’s standards. Dr. Black has also
resigned from his position on the Rambus Board of Directors. The Board
has appointed Luc Seraphin, Senior Vice President & General Manager,
Memory and Interfaces Division, as interim CEO of the Company while the
Board commences a formal search to identify a new CEO.
Eric Stang, Chairman of the Rambus Board of Directors, said, “This
decision was not related to the Company's operations or finances, and
the Board looks forward to working with Luc as we continue to execute
the Company’s current strategy and search for Rambus’ next CEO."
As interim CEO, Mr. Seraphin will have full responsibility for
overseeing the Company’s operations until a new CEO is appointed. Mr.
Seraphin has served as Senior Vice President & General Manager of
Rambus’ Memory and Interfaces Division since 2015. In his current role,
Mr. Seraphin has made significant contributions to the development of
innovative memory architectures and high-speed serial link solutions,
including increasing Rambus’ market footprint for its DDR4 memory buffer
chipset and positioning the Company to lead in next generation DDR5
memory buffer chips. Prior to this role, Mr. Seraphin was the Senior
Vice President of Rambus’ Worldwide Sales and Operations, during which
he oversaw sales, business development, customer support and operations
across the Company’s various business units. Mr. Seraphin will retain
his responsibilities as Senior Vice President & General Manager of the
Memory and Interfaces Division during the interim period.
In addition, director Chuck Kissner has been appointed Vice Chairman of
the Board. Mr. Kissner has served as a director on the Rambus Board
since 2012. In his newly expanded role as Vice Chairman, Mr. Kissner
will provide direct support to Mr. Seraphin and the Company’s senior
management team during the interim period to ensure a smooth and
effective transition.
Added Mr. Kissner, “We are confident in Luc’s leadership as we work to
accelerate Rambus’ growth through the continued execution of key
initiatives in strategic technology areas including the Data Center and
Mobile Edge.”
About Rambus Inc.
Dedicated to making data faster and safer, Rambus creates innovative
hardware, software and services that drive technology advancements from
the data center to the mobile edge. Our architecture licenses, IP cores,
chips, software, and services span memory and interfaces, security, and
emerging technologies to positively impact the modern world. We
collaborate with the industry, partnering with leading chip and system
designers, foundries, and service providers. Integrated into tens of
billions of devices and systems, our products power and secure diverse
applications, including Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT) security,
mobile payments, and smart ticketing. For more information, visit rambus.com.
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Source: Rambus Inc.