Lam Research Corp. today announced a series of changes to its management structure across operations, innovation, product groups and sales, which together are intended to further position the company to capitalize on strong future growth opportunities in the semiconductor industry. Effective March 1, 2023, new leadership appointments include Pat Lord moving into the newly created position of executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO). Vahid Vahedi will take on the role of senior vice president and chief technology officer (CTO) – succeeding Rick Gottscho, who begins a new executive leadership position at the company focused on the innovation ecosystem. In addition, Sesha Varadarajan will oversee the newly combined etch and deposition business unit, Global Products Group, and Neil Fernandes becomes senior vice president, global customer operations. Lord, Vahedi, Gottscho, Varadarajan and Fernandes will report directly to Tim Archer, president and chief executive officer at Lam.
“The criticality of semiconductors has been amplified with the accelerated digitization of the global economy. As an industry leader, Lam is committed to excellence in delivering the cutting-edge technology and operational efficiencies necessary to ensure we are well-positioned for long-term success,” said Archer. “Pat, Vahid, Rick, Sesha and Neil exemplify the Lam core values of agility, achievement, and innovation and continuous improvement. This next phase of leadership at Lam will reinforce the company’s ability to capitalize on future innovation inflections and support our customers in the 3D era of chipmaking and beyond.”
As COO, Lord will be responsible for driving operational effectiveness, productivity and business resilience in support of Lam’s long-term growth goals. Previously executive vice president of Lam’s Customer Support Business Group (CSBG) and global operations, his role will now expand to include the company’s Global Information Systems and Global Resilience, Security, and Transformation groups. This combined oversight will enable tighter integration between global operations and business transformation initiatives, advancing Lam’s ability to nimbly adapt to changing market conditions. Lord, who joined Lam in 2012 as part of the company’s acquisition of Novellus Systems, has nearly 30 years of management experience across semiconductor technologies and business.
As CTO, Vahedi will focus on driving breakthrough solutions that will define the next generation of semiconductors, ranging from dry resist technology to innovations in etch, deposition, advanced packaging and materials science that will accelerate scaling in the 3D era. Vahedi brings 27 years of technology and business leadership experience to the position. Joining Lam in 1995, Vahedi was most recently the senior vice president and general manager of Lam’s etch business where he led the development of the company’s dielectric etch, conductor and 3DIC etch innovations, and was responsible for the launch of Sense.i®, Lam’s newest and most innovative etch platform to date.
As senior vice president of the Global Products Group, Varadarajan will oversee product design, engineering and business processes to deliver industry-leading etch and deposition solutions at the right cost, quality, volume and reliability for its customers. Varadarajan has 23 years of experience in business and technology leadership at Lam, most recently serving as general manager of the company’s deposition product group. Previously, he held a range of other senior leadership positions at the company.
Previously global vice president of customer operations, in his new role, Fernandes will lead sales and customer operations across Lam’s global footprint. He joined the company in 2012 following the acquisition of Novellus Systems. Fernandes has over 30 years of experience in semiconductor equipment business and has held a range of leadership positions in sales operations, marketing and technology. Fernandes succeeds Scott Meikle, who after six years at Lam, has decided to retire.
