Darin Billerbeck of Intel Hired as ZiLOG's New CEO

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 12 - ZiLOG Corporation, one of the Semiconductor Industry's original Microcontroller manufacturers, today named Darin Billerbeck as their new President and CEO.

Billerbeck, 47, is a 14-year Intel veteran and was formerly Intel's Vice President and GM of their Flash Product Group. He replaces ZiLOG company director Robin Abrams who has held the position of interim CEO since the resignation of James Thorburn last September. Abrams will continue as a member of ZiLOG's board of directors.

ZiLOG, inventor of the original Z80 microcontroller, is one of Silicon Valley's early semiconductor pioneers. While the Company has been rapidly expanding it's embedded Flash microcontroller portfolio, Billerbeck's appointment as CEO has motivated the Company into a new phase of growth as they refocus their resources into new products and new markets.

"With his Intel background, Darin brings to ZiLOG a wealth of international management experience, specifically a proven track record in strategic technical leadership, operational excellence and in driving sales growth," noted Abrams. "Our company, its employees and the management have worked diligently and successfully to put a solid business foundation in place at our company and this positions us for our next phase of growth. We believe strongly in Darin's ability to lead our company in that direction and his expertise and experiences, particularly as it relates to the Flash arena, will be invaluable as we grow."

"ZiLOG is a well known brand and is respected within the design engineering community for its contributions to our industry through the years," commented Billerbeck. "It has undertaken a remarkable journey from its early days as a 'Valley' pioneer to its position today as a leading provider of embedded control solutions. It is a diversified company both culturally and technologically and these attributes will prove very meaningful as we grow the company in the months and years ahead. I am looking forward to leading the company. We will undertake a strategy that expands sales and drives technical innovation. To attain these goals we will build on the technical, historical and cultural strengths of our company and most importantly we will continue to aggressively align our growing product roadmap to the needs of our customers and the marketplace."

Experience
Billerbeck has 14 years experience with Intel in executive and management positions.

From 1999 to 2007 he was Vice President and General Manager of Intel's $2 Billion Flash Product Group, directing over 7,000 employees worldwide managing Intel's Flash and Wireless strategic business plans.

From 1997 to 1999 he served as Intel's Director of Design Engineering for the Flash Product Group

From 1995 to 1997 he was the Intel's Director of Operations for their Flash Product Group.

Billerbeck obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis.

About ZiLOG
Founded in 1974, ZiLOG won international acclaim for designing one of the first architectures in the microprocessors and microcontrollers industry. Today, ZiLOG is a leading global supplier of 8-bit microcontrollers. It designs, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of devices for embedded control and communication applications used in consumer electronics, home appliances, security systems, point of sales terminals, personal computer peripherals, as well as industrial and automotive applications. ZiLOG is headquartered in San Jose, California, and employs approximately 500 people worldwide with sales offices throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

 

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