Thomas Sonderman was appointed as SkyWater’s lead executive and elected to the board of directors in 2017. As CEO, he oversees efforts to maximize shareholder value through collaborating with customers, partners and other external stakeholders to drive the company’s long-term vision for the future. He has been instrumental in driving the company’s successful business transformation from an IDM to a pure play foundry and he led SkyWater’s initial public offering in April 2021.
Mr. Sonderman has effectively diversified SkyWater’s customer base by defining new product markets and target customers while simultaneously improving operational efficiencies. He has leveraged SkyWater as a U.S.-based semiconductor foundry to expand the company’s government business and to reinstate a strong commercial manufacturing presence in the U.S. He has built a world class leadership team that inspires more than 700 employees to deliver process R&D innovation and operational excellence.
Prior to joining SkyWater, Mr. Sonderman’s extensive industry experience included all aspects of fab operations and delivering market leadership and increased shareholder value to high-technology industry leaders Rudolph Technologies, GLOBALFOUNDRIES and AMD. Notably, he played a critical role serving as part of an executive team at AMD that spun-off manufacturing operations to form GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
A widely recognized subject matter expert, Mr. Sonderman is the author of 50 patents and a highly sought-after industry speaker. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from National Technological University.