Comet names Kevin Crofton as CEO

Media Release

Flamatt, Switzerland - May 5, 2020

Comet names Kevin Crofton as CEO

The Comet Group's Board of Directors is appointing Kevin Crofton, a dual American/British national, as Chief Executive Officer. He will join the Executive Committee of the Comet Group no later than October 1, 2020. After the handover, Heinz Kundert, who has led the company since the end of June 2019, will focus only on his role as Chairman of the Board.

Since 2006 Kevin Crofton has been President and Managing Director of SPTS Technologies, the leading provider of wafer processing solutions for the specialty semiconductor device markets that today is part of KLA, the market leader in semiconductor device process control and yield management systems. Kevin Crofton is also Senior Vice President of KLA.

His career began in 1982 in the aerospace sector, at the US Department of Defense in Maryland, followed by roles at US aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. In 1994, Kevin Crofton switched to the semiconductor industry, joining Lam Research Corporation in the USA, where he held various positions, including Product General Manager, Conductor Etch Products, and eventually served as General Manager of Chemical Mechanical Planarization and Clean Products Group. This was followed by leadership positions at Newport Corporation and NEXX Systems. In 2006, Kevin Crofton assumed leadership of Aviza Technology UK (now SPTS Technologies) and led a management buyout of the company in 2009. The company is now a significant division of KLA.

Kevin Crofton holds an MBA with a concentration in international business from American University and a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech University. Over the course of his career, he has established himself in the semiconductor industry: as an author of numerous important technical articles, as member and Vice Chairman of the SEMI International Board of Directors and as the winner of awards such as the MEMS Industry CEO of the Year 2013. He is also Board Chairman of Innovate UK's Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, a British public-private R&D center.

"We are proud and delighted that in Kevin Crofton we have won as CEO such a proven expert in the core markets relevant to Comet," says Heinz Kundert, Chairman of the Comet Group. "Kevin has an impressive track record and brings everything needed to vigorously put the initiated focus strategy into practice."

Contact

Ines Najorka
VP Corporate Communications
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Key dates

August 13, 2020 Publication of half-year results

Comet Group
The Comet Group is a globally leading, innovative technology company based in Switzerland with a focus on plasma control and x-ray technology. With premium high-tech components and systems, we enable our customers to both enhance the quality of their products and make their manufacturing more efficient and eco-friendly. Our innovative solutions are in demand in the semiconductor and electronics market, the aerospace and automobile industry and in security inspection. Headquartered in Flamatt, Switzerland, the Comet Group has a presence in all world markets. We employ about 1,300 people worldwide, including approximately 500 in Switzerland. Besides production facilities in China, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and the USA, we maintain various other subsidiaries in the USA, China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. Comet (COTN) is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

Media Release (PDF)

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