Nanometrics’ board names Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre as president & CEO

Nanometrics Inc of Milpitas, CA, USA (a supplier of process control metrology and inspection systems) says that Dr Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre will join the firm as its president & CEO, and has also been elected to the board of directors (both effective on 27 November).

“His leadership experience in the semiconductor industry extends over 20 years, and his wealth of technological expertise in the semiconductor capital equipment industry surpasses well over 30 years,” comments chairman Bruce C. Rhine. “Pierre-Yves has demonstrated operational excellence, technology leadership, and strategic vision,” he adds. “Pierre-Yves’ experience managing billion-dollar growth businesses makes him exceptionally well suited to lead the company through our next phase of growth.”

Lesaicherre was most recently CEO of Lumileds – a provider of LED solutions for the automotive, mobile, television, Internet of Things (IoT) and illumination markets – from 2012 until 2017, during which time LED revenue nearly doubled despite the challenging competitive environment, and the firm grew to $2bn in revenues, with over 9000 staff.

Prior to Lumileds, Lesaicherre was senior VP & general manager at NXP Semiconductors from 2006 until 2011, where he managed three semiconductor product lines totaling over $700m in sales. From 1998 until 2006, Lesaicherre served in various technical, product and business line management positions at Philips Semiconductors, following five years at NEC Semiconductor in DRAM process development.

Lesaicherre holds an MBA from INSEAD, and holds both a PhD and MS in Materials Science from the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble, France.

“Nanometrics has a reputation for technology and market leadership, along with an incredible culture that focuses on customer results while also enjoying a positive team atmosphere,” comments Lesaicherre. “The combination of great technologies and products, a solid track record of profitable revenue growth and industry outperformance, and a group of very talented employees in a dynamic company culture, present an exciting CEO opportunity,” he adds.

“His impressive track record as the CEO of a large company focused on profitable growth in a highly competitive environment, combined with his deep technical background in semiconductor manufacturing and solid business operations experience, are a great match to the challenges of continued growth and shareholder value creation at Nanometrics,” comments current CEO Dr Timothy Stultz.

“We appreciate and thank Tim for his leadership over the last 10 years as CEO,” says Rhine. “Tim has done an exceptional job of growing Nanometrics, creating shareholder value and positioning the company as a leader in the industry,” he adds. “Tim has agreed to continue to serve on the board of directors and work closely with Pierre-Yves to ensure a smooth and effective CEO transition.”