In a widely expected move, Advanced Micro Devices Inc has shuffled around its top management following shareholder disappointment in the company’s performance. While founder and CEO Jerry Sanders has not yielded to requests to step down, S Atiq Raza was named president and chief operating officer at the end of last week, positioning him as the most likely successor to Sanders, whose contract ends in 2001. Raza was previously executive VP, co-chief operating officer and chief technical officer, and was CEO of NexGen Inc, which AMD acquired back in 1996.
He takes over the titles from Richard Previte, 64, who was named president and chief operating officer in 1990, after 20 years as chief financial officer. Previte was elected vice chairman of the board of directors. He will also continue as chairman and acting CEO of Vantis Corp, AMD’s programmable logic division, currently in the process of being acquired by Lattice Semiconductor Corp. Robert Palmer, ex chairman and CEO of Digital Equipment Corp, was also elected to AMD’s board of directors.
