Press Release
u-blox announces Markus Schaefer as new Executive Director for Global Marketing and Sales
Thalwil, Switzerland - May 23, 2019 - u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies, has appointed Markus Schaefer as the new Executive Director for Global Marketing and Sales. Schaefer, a veteran of the semiconductor industry with a solid track record in growing market share in his previous positions, will complete u-blox's executive leadership team.
The new head of sales will take over the lead from the CEO who in turn will focus more on corporate strategy and the alignment with key accounts. As Executive Director for Global Marketing and Sales, Markus Schaefer will define and implement the company's sales and marketing strategy in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC sales regions. In addition to managing the company's business expansion, he will be responsible for growing the sales channels, as well as for defining u-blox's product marketing communication strategy.
Schaefer holds a M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) from RWTH Aachen, Germany and an MBA from Tiffin University, Ohio, USA. He brings with him deep insights into products and markets relevant to u-blox, acquired over more than 15 years while leading international sales teams at Infineon, NXP, and, most recently, MACOM.
During his time at NXP, Schaefer helped to substantially grow the company's RF and power management business. In the course of five years under Schaefer's marketing and sales leadership, the RF Product Lines market share grew from 10% to 40% and to a revenue level of over $600 million, with a particularly strong focus on the Asian and US markets. He joins u-blox from MACOM, where he led the EMEA and India sales organization, drove organic year-to-year sales growth by 20%, and established the company as a leader in high performance RF and optics solutions.
"We're thrilled to have someone with such an impressive track record join our executive team," says u-blox CEO Thomas Seiler. "Markus Schaefer is uniquely prepared to provide the industry insight, the competitive knowledge, and the sales know-how to capitalize on evolving customer opportunities to drive our sales strategy to the next level."
"In just over two decades, u-blox has positioned itself as a key player and leading innovator in positioning and wireless communication solutions," says Schaefer. "I look forward to tapping into that momentum and working with the people across the company to continue to pursue and accelerate the growth path that the company is on."
Markus Schaefer will join u-blox on September 1st and will be based in Thalwil, Switzerland.
About u-blox
u-blox (SIX:UBXN) is a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. Their solutions let people, vehicles, and machines determine their precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. With a broad portfolio of chips, modules, and a growing ecosystem of products supporting data services, u-blox is uniquely positioned to empower its customers to develop innovative solutions for the Internet of Things, quickly and cost-effectively. With headquarters in Thalwil, Switzerland, the company is globally present with offices in Europe, Asia, and the USA.
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u‑blox contact:
Gitte Jensen
Investor Relations
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gitte.jensen@u-blox.com
u‑blox AG
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info@u-blox.com
www.u‑blox.com
Disclaimer
This release contains certain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the u-blox Group to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include risks related to the success of and demand for the Group's products, the potential for the Group's products to become obsolete, the Group's ability to defend its intellectual property, the Group's ability to develop and commercialize new products in a timely manner, the dynamic and competitive environment in which the Group operates, the regulatory environment, changes in currency exchange rates, the Group's ability to generate revenues and profitability, and the Group's ability to realize its expansion projects in a timely manner. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this report. u-blox is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in it as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
