SmartKem appoints new COO to oversee technology transfer to Asia

 

SmartKem (Manchester, UK), a leading developer of organic semiconductors for the manufacture of low power, robust and lightweight electronic displays, has appointed Billy McLaughlin as its new chief operating officer. McLaughlin’s appointment is a major coup for SmartKem having spent more than two decades in senior roles with some of the semiconductor industry’s giants, including Motorola and GLOBALFOUNDRIES.

He is an accredited Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and joins SmartKem from e2v which was recently acquired by Teledyne for US$790M. McLaughlin has been appointed to manage industrialisation of the company’s semiconductor platform truFLEX and technology transfer to Asia, as well as overseeing quality assurance.

Steve Kelly, SmartKem CEO, said: “Billy is a significant appointment for us and will undoubtedly be a great asset for SmartKem. His reputation and vast experience in overseeing operations, whilst ensuring quality standards, will be invaluable to us as we scale up SmartKem’s semiconductor platform. There is a technical revolution taking place in Britain and Asian investors are becoming increasingly interested in what our high-tech companies have to offer. SmartKem is at the forefront of organic semiconductor technology development and is on the cusp of transforming the display industry.”

SmartKem, which is headquartered in the UK, develops organic semiconductors to enable the manufacture of liquid crystal (LC) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays that are stronger, lighter and lower power than existing technologies.

The company is focused on scaling-up and commercialising the adoption of organic semiconductors in display manufacturing. This will be achieved through the development and transfer of its production protocols for Gen 2.5 backplane manufacture onto existing Gen 3.5 and larger display production lines in Asia.

McLaughlin said: “These are exciting times for SmartKem and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play a part in a company that will effectively reshape the display industry. We are developing technology that will enable the production of ultra-thin and lightweight displays that consume half the power of traditional displays. This technology is expected to improve the user experience for millions of consumers as they interact with wearable, mobile and embedded displays throughout their daily life.”

Caption: Billy McLaughlin, new COO at SmartKem (photo: SmartKem)

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