Intel Alters Course: MJ Holthaus, Previous Co-CEO and Product Manager, Departs Company
Intel Announces Leadership Changes and New Hires
After nearly three decades at Intel, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, the interim Co-CEO, has officially left the company. Her departure, which had been rumored for some time, was confirmed five weeks after inquiries were made in early August. During her tenure, Holthaus held key roles such as Chief Revenue Officer and Product Chief for Intel's Client Computing Group (CCG).
In her place, Jim Johnson, who served as the interim CCG division leader, has had his role made permanent. Johnson was a prominent Intel executive at partner events during IFA 2025.
Meanwhile, Intel is promoting personnel to execute Tan's plans. Lip-Bu Tan, now the CEO of Intel, is leading a cleanup operation, and the news of these new hires is expected to play a significant role in this endeavor.
One such hire is Srinivasan (Srini) Iyengar, who joins Intel from Cadence Design Systems to lead the Central Engineering Group (CEG). The CEG has been created with the aim of building a new division for custom chips and integrating development functions for innovation and execution. Iyengar is expected to consolidate Intel's development efforts, focus more on customers, and accelerate and improve the execution of new ideas.
Another new hire is Kevork Kechichian, a former employee of Arm, NXP, and Qualcomm. Kechichian has been appointed as the new head of the Datacenter division. His mission is to revitalize the Xeon division and prepare it for the future.
Naga Chandrasekaran, Intel's Foundry Chief, will also oversee the Foundry Services area. Intel aims to unify the complete Foundry package under one roof with Chandrasekaran's leadership. All promoted employees, including Chandrasekaran, will report directly to Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
In a recent podcast episode, CB-Funk Podcast #136, various topics were discussed, including breaking news, FSR 4 on RDNA 3, and the "Mouse Revolution". It seems that Intel is gearing up for some exciting changes ahead.
According to Intel, Holthaus will remain available to the company for a transitional period. Despite her departure, her contributions to Intel's success over the years are undeniable. As the company moves forward, the focus is on execution and innovation, with the new leadership team ready to take on the challenges ahead.
