The company said Thursday morning that the board had unanimously picked Intel COO Brian Krzanich to replace Otellini, who in a surprise move decided to step down early a few months ago apparently with the taste of failure in his mouth given the market’s rejection of the desktop and Intel’s lack of position in mobile.
Intel also did something historic and split Otellini’s CEO and presidential roles apart, naming Renée James its first woman president and CEO heir presumptive.
The pair will take up their new jobs on May 16, the date of company’s annual stockholders’ meeting.
Krzanich, 52, was named COO in January of 2012. Since then, Intel said, he’s been running an organization of more than 50,000 employees consisting of Intel’s Technology and Manufacturing Group, Intel Custom Foundry, NAND Solutions group, HR, IT and Intel’s China strategy.