Broadcom taps ex-Philips executive as CEO

Broadcom has named Scott McGregor, the former head of Royal Philips Electronics' semiconductor division, chief executive of the company.

McGregor will replace Alan Ross, president and CEO of Broadcom, on Jan. 3, the Irvine, Calif.-based chipmaker announced Tuesday. Ross will retire but will remain on the board of directors, according to the company. McGregor will be appointed to the board of directors at Broadcom.

Scott McGregor

McGregor stepped down from the Philips job in late September, citing a desire to return to the United States. His unexpected resignation led some analysts to believe that there was more behind his move.

Like other chip companies, Philips, which makes a wide variety of chips for the communications market, became stuck between slow demand and high costs. The chip unit posted losses for several years amid a tightening semiconductor market. Before making a comeback under McGregor, tough times forced it to shed workers and manufacturing plants.

The chip unit has been profitable for its last three quarters, but it warned earlier this month that it expects flat sales in the fourth quarter.

Broadcom also warned earlier this month that revenue could dip in its current quarter on slow sales.

Prior to Philips, McGregor helped design the interface for the Xerox Star, the first commercial computer for office use. He also was a chief architect at Microsoft who reported directly to Chairman Bill Gates on Windows 1.0.

Frans van Houten has been tapped by Philips to replace McGregor as the head of the chip unit.