Craig Barratt, Ph.D., didn’t have any
experience as a CEO when he was named
to that role at Atheros Communications in
March 2003, just 11 months after joining
the company as vice president of technology. He also didn’t have any experience
with leading a company through an initial
public offering and neither did his management team, which was quite a problem
when the semiconductor business was
preparing for its IPO.
Recognizing that he needed more experience, he hired a chief financial officer
within six months to help him. The two
led the company successfully through its
IPO in February 2004, and the company
prospered for two quarters, but in the
third quarter of 2004, Atheros missed its
numbers and the stock price sank to an
all-time low.
Despite this setback, Craig didn’t let it get
him down. Instead he pushed through and
has led the business through 11 straight
quarters of revenue growth. On top of that,
the business has grown from 170 employees at the time of the IPO to more than
850 at the end of 2007. The company also
has grown from pioneering products to
becoming a leading supplier and has
expanded its portfolio.
Under Barratt’s leadership, the company
has not only grown, but it is widely respected by its peers. In fact, in both 2006 and 2007,
it was named the “Most Respected Emerging
Public Fabless Company” by Fabless
Semiconductor Alliance (now known as
Global Semiconductor Alliance).
HOW TO REACH: Atheros Communications, (408) 773-5200 or
www.atheros.com