Pragmatic Semiconductor Names Paul James EVP Manufacturing & Operations

Pragmatic Semiconductor Ltd. announced the appointment of Paul James as Executive Vice President (EVP) Manufacturing & Operations, effective immediately.

Dr James succeeds Shane Geary, who held a nearly three-year tenure, overseeing the official opening and ramp of high-volume manufacturing and production. 

Dr. James has 25 years of experience leading fab operations, technology transfers, industrialization, and business transformation across the semiconductor sector. A PhD-trained physicist, he has held senior leadership roles spanning operations, engineering, commercial strategy, and site leadership.​ 

Most recently, he served for 10 years as Managing Director of Vishay Newport Limited, formerly Nexperia. There, he was responsible for leading the site’s transition from IDM to independent foundry, restructuring commercial and operational capabilities. Previous experience spans senior technical and operational leadership positions at MAX I.E.G, Plessey Semiconductors and Zarlink Semiconductor.

With Dr. James’ appointment, the company continues its next growth phase focused on scaling manufacturing capacity to meet tremendous customer demand.

David Moore, CEO, Pragmatic Semiconductor, said: “I am delighted to welcome Paul to Pragmatic. His depth of high-volume semiconductor manufacturing and operational leadership, together with his experience of successfully leading complex industrial transformation, makes him an outstanding addition to our leadership team. Paul joins at an important point in our continued growth to lead our manufacturing operations at Pragmatic Park, our flagship production site in the North East of England, as we expand capacity, strengthen operational excellence and scale our unique and sustainable manufacturing to meet increasing global customer demand.”

Paul James, EVP Manufacturing & Operations, Pragmatic Semiconductor, said: “I am thrilled to be joining the Pragmatic team at such an exciting time in its 16-year journey. The innovative flexible semiconductor 300mm technology is truly revolutionary with many advantages over standard Silicon processing including cost, cycle time and environmental impact. I look forward to working with the talented team to accelerate the next phase of growth and technology development in the UK’s only 300mm semiconductor fab.”