Intel Corp. today announced that its board of directors has elected 27-year Intel veteran Paul S. Otellini president and chief operating officer.
The move makes Otellini, 51, a strong candidate to succeed chief executive Craig Barrett, 62, when Barrett steps down from that post.
Otellini will join Barrett, in a two-person Executive Office. He will be responsible for overseeing Intel's internal operations, focusing on the development and delivery of new products and technologies, and the efficiency and productivity of the company's business. Corporate strategy and long-range planning will continue to be led by Intel's CEO Barrett.
"The breadth and depth of Paul's experience certainly qualify him to take responsibility for Intel's internal operational excellence," said Barrett in a written statement.
"He headed our core microprocessor products business for the last four years after leading sales and marketing worldwide for five years, in addition to holding key product development and finance roles. Paul understands the dynamics of Intel's business, industry and company culture, and has the skills to help execute on our plans and programs as we move forward."
Since 1998, Otellini served as executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group, responsible for the company's $21 billion microprocessor and chipset businesses.
He served as executive vice president of sales and marketing from 1992 to 1998. Since joining Intel in 1974, he has held a number of other positions, including general manager of the company's Peripheral Components Operation and of the Folsom Microcomputer Division. He was assistant to then-Intel president Andrew Grove in 1989, and became general manager of the Microprocessor Products Group in 1990, leading the introduction of the Pentium microprocessor in 1993.