More than a year after suffering a stroke, Sean Maloney has been tapped to run Intel's growing business in China.
Maloney, who previously served as executive vice president and general manager of Intel's Architecture Group, has been named as chairman of Intel China, a new position created by the chip maker. Maloney, 54, will be in charge of Intel's business and strategy in the country, which has become increasingly vital in the IT industry as a high-growth emerging market.
Maloney took a medical leave of absence last March after suffering a stroke. At the time, he reported directly to Intel CEO Paul Otellini and was viewed as a strong candidate to succeed Otellini as chief executive. Maloney returned to Intel in January.
Maloney previously held a variety of positions since joining Intel in 1982, including country manager of Intel U.K., director of marketing for Intel Europe, and technical assistant to former Intel Chairman and CEO Andrew Grove. Maloney is familiar with China, having served as head of Intel's sales and marketing operations of Asia Pacific in the mid-1990s.
Intel's Asia Pacific business has grown tremendously over the last decade. According to Intel financials, in 2000 Asia Pacific -- which does not include Japan, according to Intel's financial reports -- represented just 26 percent of the chip maker's annual revenue, while the Americas generated 41 percent of sales. But Intel's Asia Pacific revenue nearly doubled by 2005, and according to Intel's 2010 annual report, the region accounted for 57 percent of the company's revenue while the Americas generated just 20 percent.
Intel has also made sizeable investments in China recently. In October Intel opened its first manufacturing plant in China. The company said the facility, which cost $2.5 billion, will produce new Intel chips on 12-inch silicon wafers designed for desktops, notebooks and servers.
