u-blox announces Markus Schaefer as new Executive Director

Thalwil, Switzerland – May 23, 2019 – u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies, has appointed Markus Schaefer as the new Executive Director for Global Marketing and Sales. Schaefer, a veteran of the semiconductor industry with a solid track record in growing market share in his previous positions, will complete u-blox's executive leadership team.

The new head of sales will take over the lead from the CEO who in turn will focus more on corporate strategy and the alignment with key accounts. As Executive Director for Global Marketing and Sales, Markus Schaefer will define and implement the company’s sales and marketing strategy in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC sales regions. In addition to managing the company’s business expansion, he will be responsible for growing the sales channels, as well as for defining u-blox’s product marketing communication strategy.

Schaefer holds a M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) from RWTH Aachen, Germany and an MBA from Tiffin University, Ohio, USA. He brings with him deep insights into products and markets relevant to uâblox, acquired over more than 15 years while leading international sales teams at Infineon, NXP, and, most recently, MACOM.

During his time at NXP, Schaefer helped to substantially grow the company’s RF and power management business. In the course of five years under Schaefer's marketing and sales leadership, the RF Product Lines market share grew from 10% to 40% and to a revenue level of over $600 million, with a particularly strong focus on the Asian and US markets. He joins uâblox from MACOM, where he led the EMEA and India sales organization, drove organic year-to-year sales growth by 20%, and established the company as a leader in high performance RF and optics solutions.

“We’re thrilled to have someone with such an impressive track record join our executive team,” says u-blox CEO Thomas Seiler. “Markus Schaefer is uniquely prepared to provide the industry insight, the competitive knowledge, and the sales know-how to capitalize on evolving customer opportunities to drive our sales strategy to the next level.”

“In just over two decades, u-blox has positioned itself as a key player and leading innovator in positioning and wireless communication solutions,” says Schaefer. “I look forward to tapping into that momentum and working with the people across the company to continue to pursue and accelerate the growth path that the company is on."

Markus Schaefer will join u-blox on September 1st and will be based in Thalwil, Switzerland.