[News] Intel’s Former Interim Co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus to Depart Amid Leadership Shakeup

Since Lip-Bu Tan took over as CEO in March, Intel has continued to reshuffle its leadership. According to the company, Michelle Johnston Holthaus—head of Intel Products—will step down after more than three decades with the firm.

Over her tenure, Holthaus held numerous senior leadership roles, including serving as interim co-chief executive officer following the ouster of former CEO Pat Gelsinger last year. She will serve as a strategic advisor in the near term, the press release notes.

Following Holthaus’s exit, Intel’s seven-member top executive team now includes just one woman—chief legal officer April Miller Boise, Oregon Live notes.

Intel Names New Heads for Key Divisions

Beyond Holthaus’s departure, Intel is also reshaping its top ranks with new leaders for its Data Center and Client Computing Groups. Kevork Kechichian has been appointed to lead the Data Center Group, where he will oversee Intel’s data center business, including the Intel Xeon processor line. Bringing more than 30 years of industry experience, Kechichian joins Intel from Arm, with prior senior engineering roles at NXP Semiconductors and Qualcomm.

Meanwhile, in the Client Computing Group, Intel has appointed Jim Johnson—a 40-year company veteran—as senior vice president and general manager.

Intel Foundry EVP Expands Role

Intel Foundry is also undergoing changes. Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice president and chief technology and operations officer of Intel Foundry, who joined the company in 2024 from Micron, is taking on an expanded role that now includes Foundry Services.

The move is intended to establish a more integrated foundry operating model—spanning technology development, manufacturing, and go-to-market—to better serve customers. Chandrasekaran will continue reporting to CEO Lip-Bu Tan, the press release indicates.

New Central Engineering Group to Drive Custom Silicon

In addition to these leadership changes, Intel announced the creation of a new Central Engineering Group to be led by Srinivasan (Srini) Iyengar, senior vice president and Fellow, who joined Intel in June from Cadence. In his expanded role, Iyengar will oversee the development of a new custom silicon business aimed at serving a broad range of external customers.

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(Photo credit: Intel)