Qualcomm Selects a New General Counsel After 14 Years

Qualcomm announced that Ann Chaplin has been appointed to replace General Counsel & Corporate Secretary Don Rosenberg, who will retire after 14 years in the role.

The swap will officially take place on November 1, however, Rosenberg will stay with the semiconductor design giant as as Special Advisor for Policy, Regulation, and Strategic Initiatives until the end of the year.

Once Chaplin steps into her new office, she will report directly to CEO Cristiano Amon and command the company’s legal organization in the wake of its recent antitrust victory.

Chaplin is an experienced corporate lawyer and previously served as Corporate Secretary and Deputy General Counsel for General Motors.

She brings a wealth of expertise in litigation and transactional matters, including a depth of knowledge in intellectual property law and management that she gained as a Partner at Fish & Richardson. While at the law firm, she managed the litigation practice group with a focus on patent, trade secret, trademark and copyright litigation, which will be important to her new role as Qualcomm primarily deals in intelectual property related to its chip designs.

It is this broad experience that led Amon to call Chaplin “ideally suited” for the role at a time when Qualcomm is experiencing a surge in demand for its microchip tech “across virtually every industry.”

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the world has been gripped by a semiconductor shortage due to high demand as well as crippled manufacturing and supply lines. The shortage has had trickle down effects as companies have had to reduce production or delay certain features altogether, which is espcially true in the auto industry. Chaplin joins Qualcomm from GM and could help provide Qualcomm with a wealth of auto industry expertise as the company negotiates future deals in the hard hit sector.

Chip shortages could persist for some time and are presenting Qualcomm with the ability to capitalize on what Amon called, “one of the largest growth opportunities in our history.”

In the past quarter (ended June 27), Qualcomm reported 63% year-over-year growth in its revenue, largely driven by cell phone chip sales. The company is one of the largest component and intellectual property suppliers for 5G phones and networks. Currently, Qualcomm has inked 5G tech deals with major telecom players including Motorola, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Reliance-Jio.