Helmut Gassel joins Avnet’s (NASDAQ: AVT) board of directors along with Virginia Ginnie Henkels, effective immediately. Both will initially serve on the company’s Audit Committee.
Helmut brings over 30 years of semiconductor industry experience. He currently serves on the Board of Nordic Semiconductor, and is the co-founder and partner of Silian Partners, an advisory group of industry senior executives. Prior to this, Helmut served in a series of leadership roles of increasing responsibilities at Infineon Technologies, including management board member and chief marketing officer (2016-2022) and as a division president from 2008 to 2016.
“Helmut has a deep understanding of our industry, including its technology trends, customers, and suppliers,” said Adkins. “Our Board is delighted to welcome a seasoned semiconductor industry executive as a new Director.”
Helmut holds a diploma in nuclear physics from Ruhr University Bochum and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Duisburg-Essen.
On the other hand, Virginia has extensive experience in finance and accounting leadership. In her prior role, she serves as the CFO of Empowerment & Inclusion Capital I Corp. from 2020 to 2023. Before this, Virginia was the CFO at Swift Transportation for nine years and held various finance and accounting positions throughout her 34-year career with Swift and Honeywell International. She also served on the boards of LCI Industries and Viad Corporation since 2017.
“Ginnie has a proven track record of strong leadership, and she deepens our Board’s financial expertise,” said Rodney C. Adkins, Chair of the Avnet Board. “We look forward to her added guidance as Avnet continues to prudently manage its finances and operations in all economic cycles.”
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona and a Master of Business Administration degree from Arizona State University.
