With Michelle Johnston Holthaus becoming interim co-CEO of Intel and CEO of the Intel Products group, CRN provides an overview of the most important things you should know about her, including why Intel's board chose her for the job and what her previous roles were.
When Intel announced the abrupt retirement of CEO Pat Gelsinger on Monday, it marked the rise of a longtime company executive with deep channel and sales roots to the very top.
In addition to naming 28-year Intel veteran Michelle Johnston Holthaus interim co-CEO alongside CFO David Zinsner, the semiconductor giant also granted her the new, permanent title of CEO of Intel Products, giving her control over its core chip design businesses.
[Related: Partners: Gelsinger's Sudden Exit From Intel Stirs Doubt About Its Strategy]
Intel Products includes the company's PC chip business, the Client Computing Group, which Holthaus led for nearly three years after serving as chief sales officer and general manager of Intel's Sales and Marketing Group.
The Data Center and AI Group and the Network and Edge Group are also part of Intel Products, whose financials and operations were separated from the company's manufacturing business, Intel Foundry, at the beginning of this year.
In a joint statement with Zinsner, Holthaus said the two top executives are "grateful for Pat's commitment to Intel" and added that they will "redouble our commitment to Intel Products and meeting customer needs."
"With our product and process leadership progressing, we will be focused on driving returns on foundry investments," they concluded in their prepared statement.
While some of Intel's channel partners said the sudden departure of Gelsinger left them feeling uncertain about the company's future, they were encouraged to see Holthaus, who formerly held a variety of sales and channel leadership titles, take a larger role.
"Michelle's a great leader, and I think she'll be a good steward of the business," said Erik Stromquist, chairman of Beaverton, Ore.-based Chrome device manufacturer CTL, in an interview with CRN on Monday.
What follows are five things to know about Holthaus, including how Intel Products became a distinct group, why Intel's board chose Holthaus to lead Intel Products, what her responsibilities were in the Client Computing Group and how she prioritized channel partners as the general manager of Intel's Sales and Marketing Group.