Aart J. De Geus

Since co-founding Synopsys in 1986, Dr. Aart de Geus has expanded Synopsys from a start-up synthesis enterprise to a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA). As a technology visionary, he is frequently asked to speak on topics related to the electronics industry. As one of the leading experts on logic simulation and logic synthesis, Dr. de Geus was made a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in January 1999. He has been honored for his industry achievements with the 2001 IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Industrial Pioneer Award, the 2007 IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal, and the 2008 EDAC/CEDA Kaufman award. In 2002, shortly after transacting the largest merger in EDA history, Dr. de Geus was named CEO of the Year by Electronic Business magazine, and in 2004, Entrepreneur of the Year in IT for Northern California by Ernst & Young. In November 2005, Electronic Business magazine chose Dr. de Geus as one of “The 10 Most Influential Executives.” In November of 2007, he was awarded the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) “Spirit of the Valley” Lifetime Achievement Award. In October 2008, he was presented with the Phil Kaufman Award for distinguished contributions to EDA and in 2009 was awarded the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award by the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA).

Dr. de Geus is active in the business community as chairman of the Board of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), and a member of TechNet, the GSA, and the Electronic Design Automation Consortium (EDAC). He is also heavily involved in education for the next generation, having created in 1999 the Synopsys Outreach Foundation, which promotes project-based science and math learning throughout Silicon Valley.