[News] Intel Appoints Former Qualcomm and Google Executive Craig H. Barratt as Chairman, Effective May

Intel is undergoing a major leadership transition as it reshapes its board at a critical time for the company’s strategy and execution. According to Tom’s Hardware, Intel announced that its board of directors has elected Dr. Craig H. Barratt as independent chairman. He will assume the role in mid-May. Barratt, who has an engineering background, will replace Frank D. Yeary, who is set to retire from Intel’s board after serving for about 17 years. The company states that Yeary will retire on May 13 following the Santa Clara, California-based vendor’s annual stockholders’ meeting.

CRN notes that Yeary’s replacement by Barratt comes as Intel seeks to regain its position in the semiconductor industry. The transition also reflects differing strategic views on Intel’s structure. According to Tom’s Hardware, Yeary had advocated splitting Intel into separate product and manufacturing businesses and ultimately divesting its manufacturing assets. Barratt, by contrast, appears to favor keeping Intel an integrated device manufacturer with stronger execution.

Barratt’s Career Across Connectivity, Cloud, and Silicon

Barratt brings decades of experience across the semiconductor and connectivity industries. As Tom’s Hardware notes, he is best known for leading Atheros Communications, a major supplier of Wi-Fi processors for PCs, networking gear, and consumer electronics. During the early wireless networking boom, the company expanded rapidly under his leadership, went public in 2004, and was later acquired by Qualcomm for about $3.1 billion. Barratt subsequently served as president of Qualcomm Atheros, overseeing connectivity chips used in devices ranging from smartphones and PCs to routers and switches.

After leaving Qualcomm, Barratt served as Senior Vice President of Access and Energy at Google from 2012 to 2017, the report adds. He returned to Intel in November 2025 as an independent board director. Barratt also sits on the boards of companies including Astera Labs and Intuitive Surgical, giving him exposure to both data center infrastructure and advanced robotics systems.

Intel Foundry Sees Executive Exit to Qualcomm

Beyond the chairman transition, Intel also faces executive departures as competitors move to recruit its senior leadership. As noted by CRN, Kevin O’Buckley, senior vice president and general manager of Intel Foundry Services, is set to join Qualcomm as vice president of global operations and supply chain. From now on, Intel Foundry will be headed by Naga Chandrasekaran, who was previously in charge of front-end process technology development and manufacturing.

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(Photo credit: Intel)