1997-04-18 , ESC-9617

Philips Semiconductors has announced the appointment of Leon Husson, aged 42, as the new General Manager of its Discrete Semiconductors Business Group, based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

He succeeds Jan Hanse, who is retiring. Mr Hanse managed the group's growth to become the largest discretes supplier in Europe, and the third largest supplier in the world*. Revenues in 1996 were nearly US$ 1 billion, with an output of 13 billion components.

Leon Husson was previously Product Group Manager for Power Semiconductors, and Manager at Philips Semiconductors' Hazel Grove plant near Stockport in the UK, which he joined in 1993. He was responsible for a US$ 150 million development programme, and had the satisfaction of seeing the new PowerFab complex - producing power semiconductors - commissioned in December 1996. Prior to Hazel Grove, he was Commercial Manager for LCD Cells and Modules, at Philips Components, Heerlen, The Netherlands.

After gaining his Masters and Doctorate degrees in physics from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, Leon Husson joined Philips in 1983. His first role was in the research and development of semiconductor cathodes at Philips Elcoma, Eindhoven. Subsequently he held marketing responsibilities, initially as International Product Marketing Manager for wideband transistors and CATV modules at Philips Components at Eindhoven and Nijmegen, and later as Strategic Product Marketing Manager for RF Semiconductors at Philips Semiconductors in Eindhoven.

Leon Husson aims to further develop the position of the Discrete Semiconductors Business Group in the very competitive world market.

"Philips Semiconductors is already in a strong position in discretes. However, there is no room for complacency. We will continue to build on our strengths in small-signal and RF products, where we already have an offering second to none. In addition, active programmes are in place to significantly increase our market share in power products. A separate programme has been put in place to develop partnerships with selected Japanese customers."

"Product quality and cost competitiveness are standard in today's discretes industry. In the end, only those that excel in providing service will be among the winners. It is with this in mind that Philips is in the process of developing many initiatives targeted to provide its customers with unrivalled levels of service," Leon Husson concluded.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by regional customer application labs.