David French Joins VisIC Board

VisIC Technologies, a GaN start-up based in Israel, has appointed David D. French to its board of directors.

French has forty years of semiconductor industry experience in a wide array of roles, and now serves as executive VP of business development NXP Semiconductors. French has been with NXP since 2012, and has previously served as executive VP of R&D and as general manager of the portable and computing business unit, with direct involvement in product development, marketing, manufacturing, strategic planning and business management.

“The power semiconductor market shows excellent growth prospects over the next decade”, said French, “and GaN technology in particular shows great promise in addressing the global need for energy efficiency. Based on their technology strengths I am enthusiastic about the business potential of VisIC Technologies and am pleased to join their board.”

French served as the CEO of Quantenna Communications from 2009-2010, and prior to that held the position of president and CEO of Cirrus Logic from 1999 to 2007. He served as a VP and general manager of Analog Devices from February 1988 to June 1998. And prior to Analog Devices, he held key management positions at Texas Instruments and Fairchild Semiconductor.

French also currently serves as vice chairman and director of Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation Limited, a dedicated analogue semiconductor foundry based in Shanghai, China and as a director of WeEn Semiconductors, ASEN Semiconductors, and Vango Technologies in China.

French has previously held positions on the boards of directors of the Global Semiconductor Alliance, the Consumer Electronics Association, Analogix Semiconductor, Symwave, Incorporated, and Transwitch Corporation.French received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Rochester in 1977.

“I am excited to welcome David to VisIC’s board of directors,” said Tamara Baksht, VisIC co-founder and CEO. “Our goal is to drive rapid growth as a leading provider of GaN power devices, and to establish a long-lasting brand based on the technology we have pioneered over the past 6 years. Mr. French’s rich experience and insight as a globally recognized executive and entrepreneur involved in many semiconductor companies is a tremendous benefit to VisIC, as well as our customers.”