Jay Cho EVP Thin Film Equipment, Intevac

Intevac, Inc. announced that Jay C. Cho has joined the company as EVP and GM of the thin film equipment.

 Michael Russak, PhD, current EVP and GM of HDD equipment products, will transition to the new position of executive advisor.

They report to Wendell Blonigan, president and CEO.

Cho brings to Intevac over 25 years of senior management and technical experience in the high-technology industry. He joins the company from REEnewal Corporation, which he founded and where he had served as CEO since 2011. Previously, he was VP and GM of Orbotech‘s test and repair business units, which he joined in 2006 after serving as VP of product development at Metara. He also served as VP of Novellus‘ Surface Integrity Group. His experience spans the semiconductor and flat panel display capital equipment sectors, and the rare earth recycling market.

Russak, who has been managing HDD equipment business since 2008, informed the company of his desre to move to a reduced work schedule and will assume his role as executive advisor effective immediately. As a renowned expert in the HDD industry, he will provide advice, direction and insight to Intevac’s executive team and board of directors, and in particular, continue to be engaged with our thin-film equipment technology and products for the HDD industry. In addition, he will be part of the corporate strategy team that sets the technical and business direction for the company.

He joined Intevac in July 2008. Prior that, he spent six years at Komag, Inc. as the president and CTO. Earlier, he served as CTO and VP of R&D at HMT for seven years. Prior to his time at HMT, he held various management positions in the research division of IBM Corporation. Previously, he worked for Grumman Aerospace Corporation as a contributing scientist and was involved in mission critical projects including the re-entry heat shield for NASA’s space shuttle. In 2007, he served as the executive director of IDEMA-U.S. From 1999 to 2006, he also served as a member of the U.S. board of directors of IDEMA. He has published over 90 technical papers and holds 23 patents.

Russak received a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering and a Ph. D in Materials Science from Rutgers University.

“I am very pleased that Jay has joined the team at Intevac,” commented Blonigan. “He has a demonstrated track record of successfully managing high-technology equipment businesses as well as developing innovative products and services. I am also delighted that Mike will continue to be a part of the Intevac team, both for his expert contributions in our HDD equipment business, and for his continued role in guiding the company’s strategic initiatives.”