Intel Bolsters Leadership with Key Engineering Hires Under CEO Tan’s Turnaround Strategy

Intel has announced the hiring of three prominent executives from the chip industry as part of CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the company. The appointments include Srinivasan Iyengar, Jean-Didier Allegrucci, and Shailendra Desai, each stepping into key engineering and networking roles. The move aligns with Tan’s broader strategy to streamline leadership, prioritize engineering, and revamp the company’s struggling performance.

Since assuming the role of CEO in March, Tan has been restructuring Intel’s top management by flattening its hierarchy and bringing critical chip groups directly under his oversight. A notable appointment includes Greg Ernst, a seasoned sales executive, as chief revenue officer. These changes reflect Tan’s focus on tighter control, customer satisfaction, and innovation, especially in the foundry and AI sectors.

The newly appointed executives bring deep industry experience. Iyengar, formerly with Cadence Design Systems, will lead Intel’s new customer engineering center. Allegrucci, who held a leadership role at Rain AI, will oversee development of AI system-on-chip (SoC) engineering. Desai, from Google, will spearhead new AI chip architecture development. Their roles are crucial to Intel’s future competitiveness in the rapidly evolving semiconductor market.

Iyengar will report directly to Tan, emphasizing the importance of his role in the new structure. Meanwhile, Allegrucci and Desai will report to Intel’s Chief Technology and AI Officer, Sachin Katti, indicating a strong push into AI development. These hires are intended to inject new energy into Intel’s technical leadership and help reclaim its edge in advanced chipmaking.

In a parallel move, Intel also revamped its board, with three members stepping down after not seeking reelection at the 2025 annual meeting. This signals an effort to align board leadership more closely with the company’s renewed focus on core semiconductor expertise and innovation.

Source: Reuters