Cristiano Amon takes the helm of Qualcomm on July 1, the company announced Wednesday, becoming the fourth CEO in the telecommunications company’s 36-year history.
The San Diego-based wireless pioneer announced in January that Amon would succeed Steve Mollenkopf following his decision to step down at the end of June.
Amon, 50, has been chairman since January 2018. He joined Qualcomm in 1995 as an engineer and in recent years has led the development of the company’s 5G strategy.
“I am honored to be named the next CEO of Qualcomm and I appreciate the trust that Steve and the board have in me,” said Amon. “Qualcomm is poised to play a key role in the digital transformation of many industries as our technologies become essential to connecting everything to the cloud. The need for our solutions has never been more pronounced and our leadership position has never been more apparent.
Qualcomm shares rose 2% to nearly $152 a share after the announcement.
Cristiano Amon is Chairman and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated and is also a member of the company’s Board of Directors. Amon took over as CEO on June 30, 2021.
Amon has a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and an Honorary Doctorate from UNICAMP – State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. Cristiano Amon is a member of the USPTO Council for Inclusive Innovation.
Amon began his career at Qualcomm in 1995 as an engineer and during his tenure helped shape the company’s strategic direction in various leadership roles. Before becoming CEO, Amon served as president of Qualcomm. In this role, he led the development of a differentiated and leading product roadmap, led Qualcomm’s 5G strategy, acceleration and global deployment, and led business expansion and diversification to serve multiple industries. Additionally, he oversaw the successful execution of mergers and acquisitions to expand Qualcomm’s capabilities and accelerate growth in key areas such as RF Front End, connectivity and networking.
Previously, Cristiano Amon led Qualcomm’s semiconductor business as president of QCT. He has also held various technical and business leadership positions, including overall responsibility for Snapdragon® platforms.
Prior to Qualcomm, Amon was CTO of Vesper, a wireless operator in Brazil, and held leadership positions at NEC, Ericsson, and Velocom.
Cristiano R. Amon Social Media Accounts:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristiano-r-amon