Sir Martin Wood OBE FRS (pictured), inventor of the world’s first superconducting magnet and subsequent founder of Oxford Instruments in 1959, will be awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon by the Japanese Government at a ceremony in June. 

Intel Corp.’s Board has announced the appointment of three new Corporate Vice Presidents. Deborah Conrad, John Johnson and Diane Bryant have each been appointed to the corporate roles in a move that was welcomed by Paul Otellini (pictured), Intel President and CEO. 

Former VP and General Manager for International Rectifier’s Power Semiconductor Business Unit, Ian Warbrick has joined Peregrine Semiconductor as Vice President of supply chain and customer service. This new role will see Warbrick focus on development of communications and delivery systems for the silicon-on-sapphire IC company. 

As General Manager of Strategic Operations for Applied Materials, Dr. Randhir Thakur (pictured) will initially focus his efforts on the company’s SunFab Thin Film Line for PV module production. Dr. Thakur rejoins Applied Materials after a role as Vice President of technology and fab operations at SanDisk, prior to which he spent five years with Applied Materials in executive roles. 

NXP Semiconductors has appointed former Ericsson CFO Karl-Henrik Sundström (pictured) to serve as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President. Mr. Sundström replaces Peter van Bommel, who departed the company for personal reasons while agreeing to aid the company in its upcoming joint venture with STMicroelectronics. 

Erica McGill has accepted the post of in-house Media and Public Relations Specialist for SEMATECH, a role that will see her liaise with the public and press in relation to the company’s announcements, activities and programs. 

Celerity, Inc. has named Timothy Harris as CEO with immediate effect. Bringing over 25 years of management experience to the role, he departs his most recent role as CEO of Komag, a recordable media manufacturer. 

KLA-Tencor’s Board of Directors has welcomed Kiran Patel and Bob Akins (pictured) as new additions, while H. Raymond Bingham has announced his retirement from the Board, also ending his seven-year tenure as Chairman of the Audit Committee.