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14 Jan 2019

New Composition of Board of Directors and Executive Committee

Thalwil, Switzerland – January 14, 2019 – u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies, today announced the following:

Board of Directors
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Tröster and Dr. Paul Van Iseghem will retire and therefore not stand for re‑election as board members at the upcoming Annual General Assembly on April 25, 2019. Both have been instrumental over many years in the development of the company: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Tröster as founding professor since u‑blox was spun off from the ETH, and Dr. Paul van Iseghem as Vice-Chairman since 2011.

We are very pleased to announce that the Board will propose the following candidates for election:

  • Annette Rinck as non‑executive director to join the Board of Directors of u‑blox Holding AG, and
  • Markus Borchert as non‑executive director to join the Board of Directors of u‑blox Holding AG.

Executive Committee
u blox also announces that Daniel Ammann, member of the Executive Committee and responsible for the Positioning and Short-Range Radio product centers, has decided to leave the company. The Board of Directors regrets Mr. Ammann’s departure and thanks him for his significant contribution over the past two decades both as a co-founder and Executive Committee member. The Board of Directors wishes him the very best in his future endeavors.

In parallel, the Executive Committee will be reorganized to combine all product centers in one group which will be headed by Andreas Thiel. Mr. Thiel is already member of the Executive Committee, as well as being a co-founder of u blox, and is currently responsible for the product center Cellular, as well as heading the IC design department. Thereafter, the Executive Committee will be composed of five members: Thomas Seiler, CEO, Roland Jud, CFO, Andreas Thiel, Head of Product Centers, Jean-Pierre Wyss, Head of Production and Quality, and a new member, Head of Sales, a role previously taken by Thomas Seiler. The new role will focus on providing strong leadership and strategic guidance in the development of u blox’s commercial interests and will allow Mr. Seiler to focus on the strategic vision and innovation. The search for the latter position is in progress.

About Dr. Annette Rinck
Dr. Annette Rinck holds a PhD in Applied Economics and Communications Science from the University of Leipzig, a master’s degree in Communications Science from the Ludwig-Maximilian’s University in Munich, Germany, and a diploma in medical technical science.

She is General Manager for the Saia Burgess Controls and CentraLine Building Management System brands of Honeywell, a Fortune 100 global software-industrial company. Since 2014, she has held various positions at Honeywell, most recently in Process Solutions / Smart Energy and Automotive units.

From 2011 to 2014, Dr. Annette Rinck was EMEA Vice President Strategic Marketing & Key Account Management at Eaton Electrical Industries, and GM for the German subsidiary.

From 1995 to 2011, she held management positions in Sales, Marketing and Strategic Planning at Caterpillar, DHL and BMW Group, and led significant turnaround and M&A programs.

Dr. Annette Rinck has held board positions in various leading industry associations focused on IoT / Industry 4.0. She is a citizen of Switzerland and Germany.

About Markus Borchert
Mr. Borchert has more than 25 years of international experience in the telecommunications, IT and IT services industries. He holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as member of the Sloan Fellows Program.

Presently he serves as CEO of Nokia Shanghai Bell and President of Nokia Greater China. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Borchert was leading the European operations of Nokia. During his first assignment to China from 2010 to 2014, Mr. Borchert received the national China Friendship Award, the highest honor for foreign nationals working in China. Earlier leadership positions with Nokia and Siemens include roles in global sales, strategy, marketing, portfolio management, business unit management and key account management.

Mr. Borchert also serves as President of DIGITALEUROPE, Europe’s largest industry association for the digital sector, and as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the board of several joint venture companies of Nokia. He is a citizen of Germany.

About u‑blox
u‑blox (SIX:UBXN) is a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets. Their solutions let people, vehicles, and machines determine their precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. With a broad portfolio of chips, modules, and a growing ecosystem of products supporting data services, u‑blox is uniquely positioned to empower its customers to develop innovative solutions for the Internet of Things, quickly and cost‑effectively. With headquarters in Thalwil, Switzerland, the company is globally present with offices in Europe, Asia, and the USA.

Find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter @ublox and YouTube

u‑blox contact:
Thomas Seiler, Chief Executive Officer
Phone +41 44 722 7422
thomas.seiler@u-blox.com

Roland Jud, Chief Financial Officer
Phone +41 44 722 7425
roland.jud@u-blox.com

u‑blox AG
Zürcherstrasse 68
8800 Thalwil
Switzerland
Phone +41 44 722 74 44
Fax +41 44 722 74 47
info@u-blox.com
www.u‑blox.com

Disclaimer
This release contains certain forward‑looking statements. Such forward‑looking statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the u‑blox Group to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include risks related to the success of and demand for the Group’s products, the potential for the Group’s products to become obsolete, the Group’s ability to defend its intellectual property, the Group’s ability to develop and commercialize new products in a timely manner, the dynamic and competitive environment in which the Group operates, the regulatory environment, changes in currency exchange rates, the Group’s ability to generate revenues and profitability, and the Group’s ability to realize its expansion projects in a timely manner. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this report. u‑blox is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward‑looking statements contained in it as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.