SAN FRANCISCO—Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Tuesday (Aug. 7) promoted John Byrne, a sales executive who joined the company in 2007, to fill the vacant position of senior vice president and chief sales officer.
AMD's top sales job had been vacant for six months, since Emilio Ghilardi resigned in February. AMD President and CEO Rory Read had been serving as interim chief sales officer.
AMD (Sunnyvale, Calif.) said Byrne assumes responsibility for ensuring that AMD's worldwide sales organization remains responsive to customer needs and driving the adoption of AMD products. He reports directly to Read, AMD said.
Shortly after Ghilardi's departure, AMD promoted Byrne to the position of general manger of global accounts. Since joining the company in 2007, Byrne had also served as corporate vice president of worldwide channel sales.
Before joining AMD, Byrne was CEO of Advanced Technologies Ltd., a European sales and marketing organization that collaborated with global hardware and software companies including ATI Technologies and Cyberlink, AMD said.
"Throughout his tenure at AMD, John has demonstrated a keen ability to help customers win in the marketplace," Read said through a statement. "He has proven himself as a strong leader, and as the new chief of our global sales force, I'm confident he will elevate AMD's position as a trusted supplier and partner of choice to all our valued customers."