Ping Wu, previously the CEO and chairman of the board of directors, will retain his role as chairman of the board. In this capacity, Wu plans to continue leading the board in supporting the company in its next phase of growth and devote more of his time and focus on developing the company’s long-term strategies and strengthening its external relationships.
Wu stated, ”We have been preparing Leo to assume the CEO position since he joined us in May last year. After he came onboard, he has spent a considerable amount of time working with the sales and R&D teams to better understand our customers’ needs and the challenges facing the company. The board of directors has appointed Leo to take on this important role as we work on a turnaround in our business. I firmly believe that Leo has the necessary experience and capabilities to take the company to the next level. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to all the founders, employees, board members, investors, customers and, last but not least, my wife and two children, for their tremendous support during my tenure as CEO over the past 8 years.”
Li added, ”Ping’s leadership and industry expertise have been instrumental in building Spreadtrum into the company it is today, and I look forward to continuing to work with him to fulfill the company’s vision. I am delighted to be given the additional responsibility as CEO. The Chinese mobile phone industry is going through a transition in technology and in the competitive landscape. With our investments in GSM, TD-SCDMA, mobile TV, RF products, integrated software platform, and local support infrastructure, we believe that we have what it takes to survive and flourish in this industry transition.”
Between 1998 and 2002, Li served as general manager of Mobile Phone Product and vice president of Moblink Telecom. Before 1998, he held a variety of senior engineering and program management positions at Rockwell Semiconductors and Ericsson. He holds 10 patents in wireless communication systems, RF IC system and circuit designs, and RFID applications.
Li received a BS degree from University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, China; a MS degree from Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China; a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, US; and an MBA degree from National University in La Jolla, California, US.
