Qualcomm Announces Dr. Baaziz Achour Appointed Chief Technology Officer-Elect

– Dr. James Thompson to Retire as CTO After 33 Years at the Company –

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) 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.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Our proven solutions drive transformation across major industries, and our Snapdragon® branded platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences. Building on our nearly 40-year leadership in setting industry standards and creating era-defining technology breakthroughs, we deliver leading edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patents are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.