Following a comprehensive search, Coherent’s board of directors has appointed an established industry executive with a proven track record of driving innovation and leading business transformations, as the company’s new chief executive officer, effective today.

Jim Anderson joins Coherent from Lattice Semiconductors, where he was president, CEO, and a member of its board of directors. As CEO, Mr Anderson was responsible for driving Lattice’s corporate strategy and strengthening the company’s product roadmap, achieving record operating profits and gross margins. He succeeds Dr Vincent ‘Chuck’ Mattera, who, as previously reported, is retiring as chair and CEO of Coherent. Mr Anderson also joins the company’s board of directors.

“Jim’s business acumen and technical capability, coupled with his extensive experience transforming complex global businesses to deliver above-market growth and profitability, make him the ideal leader to steer Coherent through its next chapter amidst a rapidly changing market,” said Enrico DiGirolamo, board chair. “I am confident that Coherent will benefit from Jim’s operational expertise, innovation-first approach, and in-depth knowledge of our market and platform, as we capitalize on the strong market demand we see across our AI-related datacom portfolio and improving industrial market, while leveraging our diversification strategy that continues to serve us well.”

“I am deeply honored to join Coherent, a company I have long admired, as its next CEO,” said Mr Anderson. “With cutting-edge innovation, an industry-leading platform, and an intense focus on the customer, Coherent is exceptionally well positioned to build on its existing momentum and deliver enhanced profitable growth over the long term. I look forward to joining the leadership team and board at this pivotal moment in the company’s history as we work together to realize Coherent’s enormous potential and drive value for all stakeholders.”

“Chuck Mattera has been in and around this industry for almost half a century, conceptualizing and directing the acquisition and business development strategy that made Coherent the multibillion dollar global entity it is today,” said Mr DiGirolamo. “Chuck thoughtfully forged meaningful relationships with employees, customers, suppliers, government officials, key partners, and shareholders that established a values-based foundation.” DiGirolamo added, “On behalf of the board, I have the privilege of thanking Chuck for his many years of visionary leadership, tireless execution, and energetic commitment to redefining the possibilities of our industry. We all look forward to learning about the next chapters of Chuck’s already accomplished story.”

Prior to joining Lattice in 2018, Mr Anderson was senior vice president and general manager of Advanced Micro Devices’ computing and graphics business group. He previously held leadership positions in general management, engineering, sales, marketing, and strategy at companies including Intel, Broadcom (formerly Avago Technologies), and LSI Corporation.

He serves on the board of directors of Entegris, EdgeQ, and Lumotive, as well as on the board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association, the MIT Sloan Americas executive board, the Electrical and Computer Engineering advisory bnoard at Purdue University, and the Dean’s advisory board for the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Previously, he was a director at Sierra Wireless.

Mr Anderson holds an MBA and master of science in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master of science in electrical engineering from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota.