Intel announces leadership changes; CEO of Intel Products Johnston Holthaus to leave after 30-plus years at the chip company

Intel has announced departure of another senior executive. On Monday, September 8, Intel announced that Michelle Johnston Holthaus, a veteran of more than thirty years at the company, is departing from her role as chief executive officer of Intel Products. The news comes amid a series of significant leadership and organizational changes at the chipmaking giant. Johnston Holthaus, who previously served as interim co-CEO after Pat Gelsinger's departure, will remain with the company as a strategic adviser.The company's shake-up includes the formation of a new Central Engineering Group focused on building a custom silicon business for external clients. This new group will be led by Srinivasan “Srini” Iyengar, who joined Intel in July from Cadence Design Systems.* Kevork Kechichian, formerly of ARM, will join as head of the company's data center group.* Jim Johnson has been appointed senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s client computing group.* Naga Chandrasekaran, chief technology and operations officer of Intel Foundry, will take on an expanded role within the company’s business unit that builds custom chips for outside customers.In statement, Intel CEO Tan expressed confidence in the new leadership, stating, "We are laser-focused on delivering world-class products and empowering our engineering teams to move faster and execute with excellence. Kevork, Jim, and Srini are exceptional leaders whose deep technical acumen and industry relationships will be instrumental as we continue building a new Intel.”These announcements follow a period of heightened scrutiny for Intel, including a recent US government plan to convert existing grants into a 10% stake in the company. That deal included a provision to penalize Intel if its ownership of its foundry unit dropped below 50%. The company has also faced public pressure from President Donald Trump, who has called for Tan's resignation over alleged conflicts of interest.The latest moves are part of an ongoing restructuring under Tan, who took over as CEO in March. In July, Intel announced several new hires for sales and engineering roles, including Greg Ernst as the company's chief revenue officer.