Wednesday, June 20, 2012: SANTA CLARA, USA: Applied Materials Inc. announced the appointment of Gary Dickerson as president of the company, effective June 19, 2012. Dickerson brings more than 30 years of semiconductor industry experience, including recently as the CEO of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc., which Applied Materials acquired in 2011.


In his role as president of Applied Materials, Gary will report directly to Mike Splinter, chairman and CEO, and will be responsible for the day-to-day operation and performance of the company's four business units: the Silicon Systems Group, Energy and Environmental Solutions, Display and Applied Global Services.

"Gary is a seasoned and respected leader who brings a wealth of industry knowledge and an impressive track record of delivering winning products, high customer satisfaction and strong financial performance," said Mike Splinter. "At a time when Applied's strategy is focused on enabling the success of our customers, developing innovative new products and demonstrating shareholder value, Gary is the right person to provide breakthrough leadership for our business segments to achieve the bold objectives we have set out for ourselves. I am delighted to have him join our senior executive team."

"Applied Materials is a great company with enormous talent and far-reaching global capabilities," said Dickerson. "I look forward to joining an outstanding team, and doing my part to drive our performance as a leader enabling the semiconductor, display and solar industries."

During Dickerson's seven-year tenure as CEO of Varian, the company delivered record revenue and profits while consistently achieving the highest industry rankings for customer satisfaction. Prior to Varian, he spent 18 years at KLA-Tencor, where he held a variety of operations and product development roles before being appointed COO in 1999 and then president and COO in 2002. Dickerson started his semiconductor career in manufacturing and engineering management at General Motors' Delco Electronics Division and AT&T Technologies.

Dickerson has a BS degree in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri, Rolla and an MBA from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.