BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Louis DiNardo
President and CEO
Mr. DiNardo has a strong track record of growing publicly listed and privately owned technology businesses, and has worked in venture capital firms where he has successfully backed a number of emerging technology companies. Some of his recent roles include the President and CEO of Exar Corporation, where he was credited for turning around the underperforming NYSE-listed mid-cap semiconductor company by revamping the management team, cutting operating expenses and growing revenue and profit. His efforts helped Exar achieve 16 consecutive quarters of revenue and EPS growth. Before Exar, Mr. DiNardo was responsible for investing in and overseeing a portfolio of companies, including programmable logic companies, while he served as a partner at Crosslink Capital from 2008 to 2012 and the Managing Director at Vantage Point Venture Partners from 2007 to 2008. Mr. DiNardo also served as President and CEO, as well as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors, at Xicor Corporation from January of 2001 until NASDAQ-listed Intersil Corp acquired the company in July of 2004. He subsequently held senior executive positions at Intersil and became its President and Chief Operating Officer. He has previously served as an independent director on several boards, including NYSE-listed Quantum Corp., a data management company; and Conexant, a privately held fabless semiconductor company based in California, USA.
Louis DiNardo
President & CEO
Peter van der Made
Founder and CTO, Executive Director
Peter van der Made has been at the forefront of computer innovation for 40 years. Mr. van der Made is the inventor of a computer immune system and founded vCIS Technology where he served as CTO and later Chief Scientist when it was acquired by Internet Security Systems and subsequently IBM.
Previously, he founded PolyGraphic Systems, and designed a high resolution, high-speed color Graphics Accelerator board and subsequent chip for IBM PC graphics. Mr. van der Made published a book, Higher Intelligence, which describes the architecture of the brain from a computer science perspective. Mr. van der Made designed the first generations of digital neuromorphic devices on which the Akida chip is based between 2004 and 2008, when he applied for a patent on this technology which was subsequently granted. He is actively involved in the design of the next generation of Akida chips and continues his research in advanced neuromorphic architectures.
Peter van der Made
Founder and CTO, Executive Director
Emmanuel T. Hernandez
Non-Executive Director, Chairman of The Board, Member Remuneration and Nomination Committee, Member Audit and Governance Committee
Mr. Hernandez is a highly regarded Silicon Valley technology executive with over 40 years of operating and board member experience. His professional resume includes key roles with some of Silicon Valley’s largest and most successful technology companies including National Semiconductor (acquired by Texas Instruments in 2012, (US$76.7B market cap), Cypress Semiconductor ($US4.4B market cap) and ON Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ON) (US$5.8B market cap).
Mr. Hernandez began his career with National Semiconductor where he served in various finance capacities between 1976-1993. Subsequently, he joined Cypress Semiconductor where he served as EVP Finance and Administration and CFO between 1993-2004. Following Cypress, Mr. Hernandez joined SunPower Corporation where he served as CFO between 2005-2008. Mr. Hernandez’s executive successes have led him to be a highly sought after operating consultant and board member including having been an operating Partner at Khosla Ventures, a prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm.
Mr. Hernandez currently sits on two boards including fifteen years with ON Semiconductor beginning in 2002, and eight years with SunEdison (formerly known as MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc.). Other previous board service includes Aruba Networks, an enterprise networking company acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2015, EnStorage, Inc., a private company that develops flow battery/storage technology for the renewable energy industry, Soraa, Inc., a private company that is developing LED and laser technology and Integration Associates Incorporated which was acquired by Silicon Labs in 2008.
Emmanuel T. Hernandez
Non-Executive Director, Chairman of The Board, Member Remuneration and Nomination Committee, Member Audit and Governance Committee
Christa Steele
Christa Steele is an experienced CEO and Director serving as a board member of for-profit public, private, ESOP and family-owned B2B and B2C companies across varying industry verticals. Since 2013, professional board service has included seven public and private for profit company boards – including serving as Chairman, Vice Chairman, Chairman of Audit and Compensation committees to the financial services, insurance, wealth management, investment banking, neural technology, artificial intelligence, transportation, equipment leasing, waste collection, food and agricultural industries operating in the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Italy, India, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands.
Until recently, Steele was a partner and board member of FIG Partners, a highly successful investment bank focused on M&A, Capital Markets, Fixed Income Asset Management, and IPO’s with ten locations across the United States. In April 2019, FIG Partners was acquired by Janney Montgomery Scott.
Prior, Steele spent two decades in the financial services industry serving retail, wealth management and commercial clientele. Most notably, during her tenure, she led a $3.5 Billion asset size bank located in the Bay Area of CA. As former CEO, with direct P&L responsibility of a company with $500 million in market cap, Steele led a significant financial turnaround resulting in core earnings 43% in a single calendar year, doubled the banks’ value in less than two years, and successfully led its sale for a premium in 2015.
Steele currently serves on the boards of Recology, Brainchip Holdings (ASX:BRN), BALCO Holdings, and Tanimura & Antle. She qualifies as a financial expert, is a National Association of Corporate Directors Board Leadership Fellow, holds an MBA from University of Southern CA (USC) and an undergraduate degree from California State University Sacramento (CSUS).
Christa Steele
Non-Executive Director