VisIC appoints Dr. Simon Wainwright as VP OF OPERATIONS
VisIC Technologies, Ltd is a GaN power semiconductor device leader in the fast-developing markets of Automotive, Data Centers and Industrial, today announced the appointment of Dr. Simon Wainwright as VP of Operations.
Dr. Wainwright brings 20 years’ experience in the electronics industry, spanning various managerial and corporate leadership roles. During his career to date, Dr. Wainwright has successfully managed large scale high reliability products and also lead growth stages of smaller ventures. Prior to joining VisIC Technologies, Simon had been CEO and co-founder of Freebird Semiconductor Corporation, a company dedicated to the development and fabrication of GaN HEMTs for use in the High Reliability market of Aerospace with a specific focus on components for use in satellite applications. As President and CEO of Freebird Semiconductor Dr. Wainwright and the team were successful in introducing GaN technology into an extremely conservative market and resulted in the first qualified power management GaN products on a commercial satellite constellation.
Prior to this he had been VP and GM of Microsemi High Reliability Group, with multiple sites in 3 continents reporting up through Dr. Wainwright’s organization.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Simon to our team,” said Dr. Tamara Baksht, VisIC co-founder and CEO. “Dr. Wainwright brings to VisIC Technologies his extensive experience in the semiconductor industry which will positively impact growth in our target markets which require high levels of reliability at high volumes. His primary task will be to build upon the extensive, focused product development and transition the production into a high volume, high-quality operation that will deliver the highest levels of customer satisfaction.”
Simon Wainwright received his B.Eng (hons) in Electronic Engineering from the University of Liverpool, UK graduating in 1991 This was followed by a Ph.D. in 1995 with his thesis based on “Silicon On Insulator (SOI) Technology” from the same University. Following a brief spell as an associate professor at the University of the Basque Country in Northern Spain, Dr. Wainwright moved into industry with FAGOR Electronica. Here he was involved in wafer fab engineering and development of power discretes such as power diodes for the automotive market but also heavy-duty SCRs, DIACs, and TRIACs for the industrial markets. During this period, he obtained an MBA from the University of Deusto in San Sebastian.