XMOS brings in veteran chip exec as interim CEO

LONDON — XMOS Semiconductor Ltd. (Bristol, England), a vendor of event-driven multicore processor chips, has announced the appointment of Charles Cotton as a board member and interim chief executive officer. He takes over from James Foster, who continues as an advisor to the company.

No explanation was given as to why Cotton is coming in on an interim basis or why Foster, a co-founder of the company, is standing down.

William Elmore, co-founder of Foundation Capital and chairman of the XMOS board, said: "We are very pleased that Charles Cotton has decided to join XMOS. The company is transforming the electronics industry with a highly innovative type of programmable silicon that allows digital systems to be defined entirely in standard, high-level software. With his outstanding track record in building highly successful global technology companies, Charles is the ideal leader to take XMOS forward."

Cotton's experience includes time as executive chairman of GlobespanVirata Inc. and as CEO of Virata Corp. prior to its merger with Globespan. He took Virata public on NASDAQ and is currently a director of four semiconductor in California. His U.K. directorships include Cambridge Enterprise, the University of Cambridge organization responsible for spin-outs, licensing and consulting activities.

Charles Cotton said: "The broad market appeal of its product and the innovative nature of its technology make XMOS an exciting prospect for the future. The company has made great progress so far and I look forward to helping to continue its success and establishing it as a global player in programmable silicon solutions."

Hermann Hauser, co-founder of Amadeus Capital and member of the XMOS board of directors said: "Charles and I have already worked closely together at Virata and a number of other companies. The success he brought to the companies he has led speaks for itself. I'm very pleased to be working with him again at XMOS."

Founded in 2005 with an experienced executive management team, XMOS was quick to attract VC investment in both Europe and the USA from investors Amadeus Capital, DFJ-Esprit and Foundation Capital.

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