The Board of Directors of Oberthur Technologies, a world leader in the field of secure technologies, announced today the appointment of Didier Lamouche as Chief Executive Officer of the company.
Lamouche is a well-known CEO in the industry, bringing to the role more than 25 years' experience gained across multiple industries like semiconductor, information technology and wireless communications.
Lamouche replaces Xavier Drilhon - a veteran from Oberthur Technologies - who has led the strategy of the Group since the acquisition of the company by Advent International in 2011.
Drilhon has successfully contributed to the transition to a new shareholding structure, and positioned the company on market segments exhibiting a significant development potential.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to warmly thank Xavier Drilhon for his great contribution to the development of Oberthur Technologies during the past 19 years spent within the Group. Xavier is handing over a company that is in a positive dynamic," said Pascal Stefani, member of the Board.
With the nomination of Lamouche, the Board of Directors and the shareholders of Oberthur Technologies are determined to support and accelerate the growth ambition of the company, across all its strategic segments, and enforce its leadership on a worldwide basis.
Bernard Bourigeaud, Chairman of the Board, declared: "We are extremely happy to have Didier Lamouche joining Oberthur Technologies. Didier is a high-profile CEO, one of the most experienced of the industry, who will stimulate a new growth focus in a context of promising strategic evolution across all our market segments."
Lamouche said: "I am happy to be joining a leading technology company such as Oberthur Technologies. Secure technologies are becoming increasingly pervasive across all kinds of applications. I am honoured to be offered the chance to lead such a talented, world-class team, and together define with our customers the next advanced technology solutions that their products or services will require for the future."
The change is effective immediately.
Biography of Didier Lamouche
Didier Lamouche has over 28 years' experience in the semiconductor, IT and wireless industries. Prior to joining Oberthur Technologies, and since November 2010, Lamouche was Chief Operating Officer of ST Microelectronics (a worldwide semiconductor leading company, listed on the Paris, Milan and NY Stock Exchanges) and in addition, since December 2011, he took over the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of ST-Ericsson, the 50/50 joint venture between STMicro and Ericsson, developing and selling semiconductor platforms and systems chips to the wireless telecommunications handsets industry.
In February 2005, Lamouche joined the Group Bull as Chairman and CEO (information technology and services company with worldwide presence, listed on Euronext comp. B). He succeeded to turn around and reposition Bull on the European IT landscape, boosting its server strategy by taking a leadership position on the High Performance Computing segment and repositioning the company on a "services and solution-centric" business model. He left the company in May 2010, with a solid market position and a new and consolidated shareholding structure that he initiated.
Prior to this, Lamouche acquired extensive industrial and turnaround experience in the field of semiconductors, as Vice-President of Worldwide Semiconductor operations at IBM - East-Fishkill NY- 2003 and 2004, creating and leading as Chief Executive Officer Altis Semiconductor - a foundry JV between IBM and Infineon - 1998 to 2003, and at other leading technology companies like Motorola and Philips, where he started his career as R&D engineer.
Lamouche has also served on the boards of various listed companies, Soitec (since 2005), Adecco (since 2011), ST Micro (2006 to 2010), Atari (2007 to 2010), and non-listed companies ST-Ericsson (2011) and Cameca - a private equity owned technology company - (2005 - until sold in 2006).
Lamouche is a graduate of Ecole Centrale Lyon and holds a PhD in semiconductor technology. He has been awarded the Chevalier de la L'egion d'honneur in April 2010. He is 53, married and a father of three children.
