Winfried Kaiser to Receive the SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award
SEMI has announced that Winfried Kaiser, senior vice president Product Strategy Lithography Optics at ZEISS, has been selected as the 2014 recipient of the SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, inspired by the late Bob Graham. He will be honoured for outstanding achievement in semiconductor equipment and materials marketing during ceremonies on July 7 at SEMICON West in San Francisco.
Winfried Kaiser will receive the 15th annual SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award for his exemplary efforts and results in adding customer value. His vision of now widely accepted optical technologies significantly benefited the semiconductor industry by contributing to the extension of Moore's Law through multiple technology nodes and by aligning ZEISS to the optical needs of lithography equipment manufacturers and their customers.
The award selection committee cited the complexity of Kaiser coordinating three tiers of the semiconductor supply chain: semiconductors, equipment, and advanced optics; as well as the commitment to serve customer needs.
The optical approach championed by Kaiser at ZEISS is operating in fabs worldwide today. Kaiser has led ZEISS's strategic marketing and the company's collaborations especially with ASML. These collaborations cover 248nm and 193nm wavelength, as well as liquid immersion (high NA) lens product development and the launch of the EUV program in Europe.
"Winfried Kaiser provides a compelling example of successful marketing and partnering in our industry," said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. "We recognize Winfried for his significant contributions to our industry and commitment to customer success."
Winfried Kaiser joined ZEISS in 1982 after earning his Physics degree from the University of Stuttgart, Germany. During his 32 year tenure with ZEISS, he served as head of the semiconductor development lab and product development and has been responsible for product strategy since 1997. In 2007, he was designated a ZEISS Fellow, the highest level of technical stature at ZEISS. His numerous awards include the 2006 European SEMI Award, which he earned with Martin van den Brink, executive VP of Marketing and Technology of ASML at the time.
The SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award was inspired by the late Bob Graham, the distinguished semiconductor industry leader who was part of the founding team of Intel and who helped establish industry-leading companies Applied Materials and Novellus Systems. The Award was established to honor individuals for the creation and/or implementation of marketing programs that enhance customer satisfaction and further the growth of the semiconductor equipment and materials industry.
Eligible candidates are nominated by their industry peers and are selected by an award committee. Previous recipients of this SEMI award include: Art Zafiropoulo (2000), Jim Healy and Barry Rapozo (2001), Jerry Hutcheson and Ed Segal (2002), Steve "Shigeru" Nakayama (2003), Edward Braun (2004), Archie Hwang (2005), Aubrey C. (Bill) Tobey (2006), Richard Dyck (2007), Richard Hong (2008), Peter Hanley (2009), Martin van den Brink (2010), Franz Janker (2011), Dan Hutcheson (2012), and JC Kim (2013).
