Micron has announced the appointment of a new CEO, after the sudden death of Steve Appleton in a plane crash on Friday.
Mark Durcan, 51, will take over the role immediately, and will also serve as on Micron’s board of directors.
He’s been president and chief operating officer since 2007, and earlier served as Micron’s chief technology officer, after joining the company in 1984.
Appleton died on Friday in a small plane believed to have been an experimental vehicle – he had for some time been an enthusiastic stunt pilot, scuba diver and off-road rally driver.
He’d previously survived two plane crashes, one of which left him seriously injured. He was alone in the Lancair kit plane on Friday.
“Steve was a true friend who will be dearly missed by all of us,” says Durcan. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and our team members as we all grieve this tragic loss.”
The board of directors has also announced the appointment of Robert Switz as chairman of the board and Mark Adams as president. Switz has been a director of the company since 2006, and is the former Chairman and CEO of ADC Telecommunications. Adams joined the company in 2006, serving most recently as vice president of worldwide sales.
“We are fortunate to be able to appoint someone with Mark’s operations and technical leadership experience to serve as the company’s CEO,” said Mr. Switz. “Mark has been instrumental in Micron’s success in his role as President and COO and has garnered the respect of the company, his team members and the industry at large.”
