Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf will step down from his role at the end of June 2021 after seven years at the helm, with current president Cristiano Amon (pictured) chosen as his replacement.

In a statement, Qualcomm said Mollenkopf had decided to retire following 26 years at the company, serving as CEO since March 2014. He will continue as a strategic advisor for an unspecified period of time.

The board said it had unanimously selected Amon to be his successor, effective 30 June, who himself has been at Qualcomm since 1995 and has served as president since January 2018.

In his departing statement, Mollenkopf said he leaves the company as the “world’s leader in wireless technologies”, and it was now the right time to step down and hand Amon the reins, to “preside over what I see as the single largest opportunity in the company’s history”.

Mollenkopf highlighted that his successor had “spearheaded the development of our 5G strategy, including its acceleration, industry-leading technology roadmap and global rollout”.

Clear choice
Also commenting, Mark McLaughlin, chair of Qualcomm’s board of directors, said Mollenkopf had been integral in creating immense value for shareholders and inventing key technologies throughout his tenure, while adding Amon was the clear choice as the next chief.

As president, Amon has been responsible for Qualcomm’s semiconductor business, which includes mobile, automotive, RF Front End and IoT revenue streams, as well as its global operations.

He joined Qualcomm as an engineer 26 years ago.

“Qualcomm is an incredible company. We have been at the forefront of innovation for decades and I look forward to maintaining this position going forward,” said Amon.