Nordic Semiconductor Appoints New US Director of Sales

(Business News & Technology News, 28 Mar 2008)

Nordic Semiconductor ASA has appointed J. Darren O'Donnell as Director of Sales, Americas. While Nordic has operated a local San Jose, California-based operation for over a year, this is the first director-level appointment specifically for the Americas. O'Donnell will lead Nordic's existing sales and field applications engineers together with the company's two US-based distributors, Symmetry Electronics, and Nu Horizons; and technical sales engineering representative SC Cubed.

O'Donnell has over two decades experience in the US and global electronics industry. Previous roles include senior positions in manufacturing and distribution companies. He is no stranger to Nordic's Ultra Low Power (ULP) wireless technology. While a director of Symmetry Electronics, he was responsible for adding Nordic Semiconductor's ULP 2.4GHz RF transceivers to the Hawthorne, California--based distributor's portfolio in January 2003.

In his new role, O'Donnell will ensure that the customer base is expanded and the existing customers are fully supported. He will ensure Nordic's own staff focus on key accounts while distribution partners look after all other valued customers.

"While much of the volume production of electronics has moved to the Far East, the U.S. is still the leader in electronics design, generating 60 percent to 70 percent of new designs, and will remain in that position for the foreseeable future," says O'Donnell. "Nordic's proprietary ULP wireless devices and its membership of the group developing Ultra Low Power Bluetooth technology means it is perfectly positioned to offer leading-edge ULP RF solutions to U.S. design engineers looking to genuinely differentiate their products.

"And we are not just about innovative silicon," O'Donnell continues. "We are about making ULP wireless connectivity as technically painless as it is possible to make it by supplying chips, development tools, communication software and complete reference designs. For example, our latest product, the single-chip nRF24LU1 2.4GHz transceiver, enables the implementation of ultra-compact, high performance USB dongles for wireless peripherals. The nRF24LU1 comes complete with a fully-functional reference design, development tools and software."