ARM CEO Warren East set to retire after 12 years on top

ARM CEO Warren East is set to retire on 30 June after 12 years at the helm of the Cambridge-based semi-conductor firm.

East originally joined ARM in 1994 to establish the firm's consulting business and was appointed to the position of CEO within three years. In the decade East has been in charge of ARM, the firm has created some of the most sought after semiconductor IP in the world. Chips based on the ARM design are found in almost all the mobile/tablet products in the market ranging from low-end handsets to popular devices such as the Apple iPhone.

Under the leadership of East, ARM has seen all key indicators increase (as seen below). He leaves the firm on a solid financial footing with the firm currently generating $913 million in revenue up from $213 million in 2001.

In a statement East noted that it had been a privilege to lead ARM during an exciting time for the industry.

"I am proud of what the ARM team of employees and partners has achieved together while I have been CEO; ARM is a great company with a strong market position and a unique culture," he noted.

"We take a very long-term view about our business, and we believe that now is the right time to bring in new leadership, to execute on the next phase of growth and to plan even further into the future."

Simon Segars who is currently president of ARM and has worked at the company for 22 years will take over as CEO form the 1 July. Segars held a range of senior positions including head of engineering and has been leading the sales team.

Khidr Suleman is the Technical Editor at IT Pro, a role he has fulfilled since March 2012. He is responsible for the reviews section on the site  - so get in touch if you have a product you think might be of interest to the business world. He also covers the hardware and operating systems beats. Prior to joining IT Pro, Khidr worked as a reporter at Incisive Media. He studied law at the University of Reading and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism and Online Writing at PMA Training.