Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) today announced that Martin Fink, executive vice president and chief technology officer, will be transitioning to retirement and moving to an advisory role with the Company. Mr. Fink will continue to report to Steve Milligan, chief executive officer, and advise Mr. Milligan and the executive team on matters relating to data center architectures, including RISC-V. Dr. Siva Sivaram, executive vice president, Silicon Technology and Manufacturing, has been appointed to the newly created role of President, Technology and Strategy, effective immediately. In this expanded strategic role, Dr. Sivaram will oversee Western Digital's key technology initiatives and corporate strategy.
Dr. Sivaram has more than 35 years of experience in semiconductor technology and manufacturing. Prior to joining Western Digital in 2016 following the acquisition of SanDisk, he held executive positions at Intel and Matrix Semiconductor. Additionally, he was the founder and CEO of Twin Creeks Technologies, a solar panel and equipment company.
"Siva has been instrumental in leading the ongoing development of our 3D flash memory and other next generation technologies," said Steve Milligan, Western Digital chief executive officer. "Looking to the future, I am confident that with Siva's expertise, we will be well positioned to further strengthen Western Digital's leading technology position and innovative product portfolio."
"Western Digital's technology infrastructure plays an increasingly critical role in today's data-centric world. At such an exciting moment in our company's history, I look forward to directing our corporate strategy and working with our incredibly talented team to provide new architectures and opportunities to our customers and partners as they adapt to an evolving data landscape," said Dr. Sivaram.
"On behalf of the Board and management team, I want to thank Martin for his leadership and tremendous contributions to our company," continued Milligan. "As a true thought leader and innovator in our industry, Martin has played an important role in advancing Western Digital's transformation into a more diversified enabler of data infrastructures. We are grateful that we will continue to benefit from his perspectives as an advisor, particularly as we lead the development of the RISC-V ecosystem and enable a new era of open source innovation."
"Western Digital is at the forefront of an industry shift as we capitalize on the increasingly important role of data from core to the edge, and it's been a privilege to lead the Company's technology efforts during this critical time," said Fink. "I look forward to continuing to work with Steve and the executive team as we drive the transformation of data center architectures into the future."
About Western Digital
Western Digital® creates environments for data to thrive. The company is driving the innovation needed to help customers capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. Everywhere data lives, from advanced data centers to mobile sensors to personal devices, our industry-leading solutions deliver the possibilities of data. Western Digital® data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital, G-Technology™, SanDisk® and WD® brands.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements concerning the Company's technology leadership transition, technology position and product portfolio. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including: volatility in global economic conditions; business conditions and growth in the storage ecosystem; impact of restructuring activities and cost saving initiatives; impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance and cost of commodity materials and specialized product components; actions by competitors; unexpected advances in competing technologies; the development and introduction of products based on new technologies and expansion into new data storage markets; risks associated with acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the company's Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 7, 2019, to which your attention is directed. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
