SkyCross Appoints New CEO and Chairman
Former Atheros Executive Ben Naskar Succeeds Dennis McKenna
VIERA, FL—Nov. 17, 2010—SkyCross, a global developer and manufacturer of advanced antenna solutions, today announced it has appointed Ben
Naskar, a wireless industry veteran, to the position of CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Naskar succeeds outgoing Chairman and Acting CEO, Dennis McKenna, former CEO and Chairman, who had previously announced his plan
to retire at the end of 2010.
"In Ben Naskar, we have successfully recruited a senior executive with extensive knowledge, experience, and relationships in the wireless device ecosystem," McKenna said. "His expertise in our core
market segments will enable him to immediately contribute to the ongoing growth of the company."
Naskar has more than 20 years of experience in the wireless semiconductor industry. Prior to joining SkyCross, he was a corporate officer, vice president, and general manager of the Wireless Networking
Business Unit at Atheros Communications. In this position, Naskar grew business unit revenue by 200 percent over three years, gaining market share in all product segments. Previously, Naskar served as
vice president and general manager of the Communications Group at PMC-Sierra. Naskar also has hands-on experience in Asia, where SkyCross has five facilities.
For more than eight years, he was the China-based vice president and managing director of Asia at Analog Devices, growing a $55 million division to $650 million in revenue within six years. Naskar also
headed a successful startup as CEO and president of Magfusion, a provider of RF MEMS devices, and has led M&A transactions valued at several hundred million dollars. Earlier, Naskar held senior management
positions at National Semiconductor and Advanced Micro Devices.
SkyCross specializes in optimizing wireless connectivity in consumer electronics devices. The company's patented iMAT approach for superfast
broadband networks enables a single antenna element to deliver the performance benefits of multiple antennas without creating interference issues. SkyCross has experienced robust expansion. Over the past
three years, worldwide revenue has grown by more than 50 percent, and last year SkyCross shipped more than 100 million antennas. Significant additional opportunity in mobile broadband is ahead. Needham
and Company projects that the number of 3G mobile broadband devices will more than double by 2014, and the number of 4G mobile broadband devices will grow by a factor of six over the same period. SkyCross
plans to leverage iMAT, innovative 3D design services, and its world-class manufacturing capability to capture new business and add
value for its customers—equipment manufacturers and wireless network operators.
"The potential for SkyCross is huge, especially as we leverage our high-performance iMAT technology in the 4G LTE systems now being deployed around the globe," Naskar said. "In addition, there are large
existing opportunities in the mobile device, computing, access point, and consumer equipment segments of the market. SkyCross antennas are already used by many leading OEMs, and I am looking forward to
increasing our design wins with several key OEMs and ODMs."
On behalf of the SkyCross Board of Directors, Naskar thanked Dennis McKenna, former CEO and Chairman for his leadership and guidance of SkyCross as interim CEO. "The Board appreciates the foundation he put in place," Naskar
said. "Now I look forward to leading and working with the talented team at SkyCross as we strive to become the number one antenna and RF solutions provider in the industry."
About SkyCross
SkyCross (www.skycross.com) is a global developer and manufacturer of advanced antenna solutions for the mobile phone, home entertainment, and computing
industries. SkyCross provides unique high-performance antenna technology bundled with RF system-level expertise and responsive
regional support from its full-service facilities in the USA, South Korea, China, and Taiwan. This convenient approach empowers device manufacturers to develop winning consumer electronics products
and deliver them to market faster and easier. SkyCross iMAT® MIMO antennas won the "Best
Network Technology Advance" award at the Global Mobile Awards 2010 in Barcelona.
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