KATEEVA ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP CHANGES
Five longtime Kateeva executives were promoted to the new leadership team.
NEWARK, Calif., March 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kateeva, a market leader in inkjet deposition equipment solutions for manufacturers of OLED displays, today announced the appointment of May Su as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and member of the Board. Su takes over from Alain Harrus who held the CEO role since 2013. She joined Kateeva in 2018 as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Over time her responsibilities expanded to include SVP of Sales. Harrus becomes Chairman Emeritus and will serve Kateeva as an Advisor.
The CEO transition is among several executive moves implemented as part of a company restructuring due to a significant change in business conditions. Co-Founder Conor Madigan stepped down as President, although he remains on the board. Five longtime Kateeva executives were promoted to the new leadership team. They include: Mary Loomas, Chief Financial Officer; David Duke, SVP of Sales and Service; Alex Ko, SVP of Engineering; Christopher Hauf, VP of Technology; and Sunil Goudar, Senior Director of Operations and Manufacturing. Co-Founders Gerry Chen and Valerie Gassend remain with the company.
The new leadership is focused on enabling global customers with advanced technology solutions for OLED display manufacturers. Already an entrenched supplier of equipment for flexible OLEDs, the company is now extending its reach to enable emerging applications like stretchable OLEDs, and more. With a tighter infrastructure that includes a full-service team in China, the company can move fast to build equipment for manufacturers’ differentiated processes that delivers high-yield, low cost-of-ownership advantages.
Kateeva Board Member Henry Wang noted: “We’re pleased to name May as Alain’s successor. Her keen understanding of customers’ technology challenges and market priorities helped Kateeva become a world-class solutions partner to global display manufacturers. As a business leader with deep connections in China and throughout Asia, she’s the right executive to maximize Kateeva’s potential and value in this new phase.”
Su added: “Kateeva has always stood out for its talent and capacity to innovate novel technology solutions. We’re a smaller company today, but more focused than ever on enabling customers in the display space and beyond with highly differentiated equipment. I’m excited to lead the team.”
Harrus credited Su for forging a customer-engagement strategy at Kateeva that helped display manufacturers optimize their experience with the company’s equipment solutions. “She’s a skilled engineer and applications expert with a talent for leading cross-cultural teams collectively dedicated to making customers successful. The company will thrive under her leadership,” he said.
Wang also paid tribute to Harrus and Madigan, adding: “Thanks to their vision, leadership and fortitude, nearly every high-end smartphone produced today was enabled by a Kateeva tool. They turned a novel technology concept into a breakthrough equipment solution that helped the display industry fulfill the potential of OLED technology. We appreciate their continued contribution.”
Before Kateeva, Su held executive positions with leading semiconductor equipment companies where she implemented strategic growth initiatives that brought breakthrough technologies to market and strengthened revenue pipelines. Her roles included: Vice President of Corporate Marketing at KLA-Tencor, Product General Manager at Lam Research, President of US and European Operations at Nova Instruments, VP of Strategic Marketing at Brooks Automation, and VP/GM at Crossing Automation and Aviza Technology.
Su holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley, and an MBA from Santa Clara University in California.
About Kateeva, Inc.
Kateeva makes inkjet deposition production equipment solutions for manufacturers of OLED displays. The company’s YIELDjet™ precision deposition technology platform uses innovative inkjet printing to deposit coatings with high speed and accuracy. Kateeva’s YIELDjet FLEX system is today’s leading inkjet deposition platform for mass production of the organic thin film encapsulation (TFE) layer of mobile OLED displays. Kateeva is headquartered in Silicon Valley, maintains operations in China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, and is backed by venture capital firms and other investors. www.kateeva.com
YIELDjet is a trademark of Kateeva, Inc.
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