Fabless power semiconductor company Helix Semiconductors today announced that Rudi De Winter has joined its board of directors. De Winter is the CEO of Helix Semiconductors’ fab partner X-FAB, as well as a managing partner at Xtrion N.V., a financial company with large holdings in X-FAB and other significant fabless chip companies. The addition of De Winter to the Helix Semiconductors’ board signals that the company is ramping up its resources as it moves into the next stage: preparing its paradigm-shifting transformerless chipsets for mass production.
Helix Semiconductors uses leading-edge X-FAB 0.18um high-voltage CMOS processes to develop its innovative power conversion products, which enable the replacement of bulky, inefficient transformers. As CEO of X-FAB, De Winter is responsible for guiding the company’s research and development, marketing, sales, and quality efforts worldwide. De Winter has more than 30 years of experience in the electronics and semiconductor industries, having previously served as CEO of Melexis N.V. for 15 years. Melexis is a world leader in automotive semiconductor sensors and integrated circuits for motor driving and car networking. Additionally, De Winter has been a director of Xtrion since 1990. De Winter holds a master’s degree in electronic engineering from Ghent University in Belgium.
In his role as a Helix Semiconductors board member, De Winter will represent one of the company’s most significant shareholders and will be called upon to lend his expertise to topics such as industry trends, patterns, behaviors, and norms. De Winter is uniquely qualified as an expert source in areas that are critical to the continuing success of Helix Semiconductors – including source of supply and market strategy.
“The addition of Rudi De Winter to our board of directors is a critical step toward mass production and the achievement of our ultimate goal: fundamentally changing the way that products are powered,” noted Harold A. Blomquist, president and CEO of Helix Semiconductors. “In fact, it’s quite a remarkable feat for an early-stage company like ours to have such an accredited, high-level professional sit on our board. With his depth of directly relevant influence and breadth of experience in the semiconductor industry, Rudi is a strong addition to our board of directors’ existing skill set.”