Intel Reshuffles Leadership with New Appointments and a Major Departure

Intel has announced a sweeping series of leadership changes designed to reinforce its core product lines, revitalize its foundry ambitions, and streamline engineering efforts across the organization.

The move signals both continuity and transformation, as the company doubles down on its strategy to regain leadership in the semiconductor industry while bidding farewell to one of its most experienced executives.

Strengthening the Data Center Vision

At the center of the reshuffle is Kevork Kechichian, who joins Intel as executive vice president and general manager of the Data Center Group (DCG). Kechichian’s résumé spans more than three decades in semiconductors, most recently at Arm, where he played a pivotal role in evolving the company’s business from traditional IP licensing toward comprehensive full-stack solutions. His earlier leadership posts at Qualcomm and NXP gave him a broad foundation in both engineering and business transformation. By bringing in a seasoned outsider, Intel clearly hopes to inject fresh thinking into its data center strategy, a sector where competition from AMD and Nvidia has been fierce.

CEO Lip-Bu Tan described Kechichian as a leader with both strategic foresight and technical depth, emphasizing that his arrival is aimed at seizing new growth opportunities in cloud and enterprise markets. The data center has become a battleground not only for processors but also for AI workloads, accelerators, and efficient silicon design, making Kechichian’s cross-company experience crucial for Intel’s repositioning.

Continuity in Client Computing

While Kechichian brings fresh perspective, Jim Johnson represents the opposite: a steady hand shaped by four decades inside Intel. After serving as interim head, Johnson has now been officially confirmed as senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group (CCG). This division remains Intel’s largest revenue driver, powering billions of PCs worldwide and serving as the company’s most visible consumer-facing business.

Johnson’s long history within Intel, from manufacturing to networking to global operations, has made him a trusted figure within the organization and the broader PC ecosystem. With PC sales fluctuating in recent years, Johnson faces the challenge of not only stabilizing growth but also steering Intel through the transition toward AI-enhanced PCs and edge computing solutions. According to Tan, Johnson’s credibility and industry relationships will be instrumental as Intel prepares to roll out its next-generation products.

Engineering Realignment with a Central Group

In an effort to speed up innovation cycles and consolidate talent, Intel has also formed a new Central Engineering Group under Srinivasan (Srini) Iyengar. A Fellow and senior vice president, Iyengar will be responsible for leading horizontal engineering functions while building a new custom silicon business targeting a wide variety of external customers. Having previously worked at Cadence Design Systems, Iyengar brings specialized expertise in custom chip development, particularly in partnership with hyperscale data center operators who demand optimized designs for specific workloads.

The creation of this group underscores Intel’s intent to improve execution discipline, accelerate product timelines, and attract external partnerships beyond its traditional CPU business. Tan framed the move as part of Intel’s cultural shift toward tighter alignment between engineering innovation and customer outcomes.

Integrating the Foundry Strategy

Equally significant is the expanded role of Naga Chandrasekaran, who will now oversee both technology and operations as well as Intel Foundry Services. Chandrasekaran’s leadership merges development, manufacturing, and go-to-market operations into a unified structure, a shift intended to eliminate silos and better position Intel as a reliable contract manufacturer in a market long dominated by TSMC and Samsung. He joined Intel from Micron in 2024, bringing decades of experience in both manufacturing and R&D.

Tan highlighted that this integrated model under Chandrasekaran will elevate execution standards and foster closer collaboration across Intel’s foundry ecosystem. Foundry is one of the most ambitious bets for Intel’s future, aiming to restore the company’s role as both a technology innovator and a manufacturing powerhouse. By expanding Chandrasekaran’s remit, Intel is doubling down on this high-stakes strategy.

Farewell to a Veteran Leader

Amid the new appointments, Intel also announced the departure of Michelle Johnston Holthaus, chief executive of Intel Products, after more than three decades of service. Holthaus’s career has been deeply intertwined with Intel’s growth trajectory, spanning roles such as interim co-CEO, head of CCG, and chief revenue officer. Known for her ability to build strong teams and deliver results, she leaves behind a legacy of resilience and customer focus.

While she will remain as a strategic advisor to ensure a smooth transition, her exit marks the end of an era. For many within Intel, Holthaus represented continuity and institutional memory, making her departure both symbolic and practical. Employees and industry observers alike will be watching closely to see how Intel adjusts without her steady influence.

The Big Picture

These leadership changes paint a portrait of a company at a crossroads. Intel is simultaneously leaning on its veterans and bringing in new blood, betting that a mix of continuity and disruption will fuel its turnaround. Challenges remain: rivals are advancing quickly in both consumer and enterprise markets, and delays in Intel’s product roadmap have eroded confidence in the past. But with Kechichian, Johnson, Iyengar, and Chandrasekaran each tasked with reshaping critical business units, Intel appears determined to show that it is not only capable of competing but of leading once again.

As one industry observer quipped, the real test will not be in titles and press releases but in concrete results – products that perform, execute on time, and win back trust in the market. Intel’s latest reshuffle suggests the company is aware of the stakes and is positioning itself accordingly.