Dr. James Thompson to Retire as CTO After 33 Years at the Company
Qualcomm Incorporated today announced the appointment of Dr. Baaziz Achour to the role of Chief Technology Officer, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and the retirement of Dr. James Thompson, each effective February 3, 2025. Dr. Achour currently serves as Deputy Chief Technology Officer.
“As CTO, Baaziz will lead Qualcomm’s R&D and engineering organizations, with responsibility for our technology strategy and execution. Baaziz will continue to extend Qualcomm’s leadership in wireless communications, computing and AI. I look forward to partnering with Baaziz in his new role,” said Cristiano Amon, President and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated. “I want to thank Jim for his 33 years of considerable contributions to Qualcomm. During his time as CTO, Jim not only advanced Qualcomm’s wireless technology leadership but also expanded our capabilities, including in advanced processors and AI. Jim has played a key role in creating one of the industry’s broadest technology portfolios, which has been instrumental to our leadership in mobile, and growth and diversification into Automotive, PC, Industrial, XR, networking and more.”
Dr. Achour has served as Deputy Chief Technology Officer since 2023. He first joined Qualcomm as a Systems Engineer in 1993. Over the course of his tenure with Qualcomm, Dr. Achour has held several leadership roles within the engineering organization and has been essential in contributing to nearly every generation of wireless technology. He was a key part of the leadership team that enabled the accelerated launch of 5G and will lead the evolution of cellular to 6G. Dr. Achour holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the University of Algiers, and master’s and doctorate degrees in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University. He has twenty-four granted U.S. patents in wireless communications.
Also Read: Mastering Data Sovereignty: Balancing Innovation with Legal Responsibility
[To share your insights with us as part of editorial or sponsored content, please write to psen@itechseries.com]
