Now that former Lenovo Group COO and president Rory Read is seated upon his newly-shined CEO throne at AMD, the just-appointed company leader wants to take a difference stance on the market: that of a predator. For those who were hoping that AMD would some day bring CPU leader Intel down a notch or two, this may be some long-awaited good news.
"I really like to compete and win," he said during an employee event. "I feel passion for what we are doing. We only get one pass at this. [...] You might as well do things you're fired up about, and you're passionate. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing it right. We can be the leaders. We do not need to look left or right. That is not what we are."
Prior to joining AMD, Read served as Lenovo's president and COO from February 2009 to August 2011. He was responsible for driving the company's overall growth, execution, profitability and performance across a $16 billion global enterprise spanning more than 160 countries, turning Lenovo into the world’s fastest growing major PC manufacturer. He reportedly chose a "protect and attack" strategy to grow the company's market share, and based on his recent employee address, he may use the same approach at AMD.
"We got to become the hunters, we have to look forward, we have to go attack the hill," he said. "When you set your objectives on something that you believe in, you look ahead. As the predator, you become the aggressor, and you deliver on those goals. I had a great job at Lenovo – it was awesome. I'm here because I want to be here, and I believe so much in this team and what we can do together."
