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About Immersion

Board of Directors

   

Ms. Anne DeGheest, Director

Anne DeGheest joined Immersion's board of directors on March 1, 2007. DeGheest has served since August 1986 as founder and principal of MedStars, an investment and executive management firm specializing in starting and developing new life sciences companies with innovative products and services, which have included Pyxis, Aspect Medical Systems, Visicu, Thermage, and Pixel Optics. She also serves on the device screening committee of Life Science Angels, Inc., an angel investment group focused solely on biotechnology and medical device companies. From March through November 1998, she was an entrepreneur in residence at Institutional Venture Partners, a venture capital firm. From November 1998 to September 2002, DeGheest founded and served as president and chief executive officer of medpool.com, Inc., an e-commerce hospital procurement company. Previously, she was vice president of marketing at OmniCell Technologies, a leader in automated point-of-use management systems for medical supplies, and marketing director for Nellcor, a manufacturer of pulse oximetry and critical care solutions. DeGheest also held a sales and marketing management position in Raychem's Computer and Telecommunication Division. She has a master's degree in general engineering and business from the University of Brussels, Belgium, and an MBA from Harvard University.

Mr. John Hodgman, Director

John Hodgman joined Immersion's board of directors on January 31, 2002. In August 2006, he was appointed senior vice president and CFO of InterMune, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the research, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies in pulmonology and hepatology. From June through October 2005, he was the president and CEO of Aerogen, Inc., during which time he directed the merger with Nektar Corporation. In 1994 he joined Cygnus, Inc., a medical company focused on new and improved glucose monitoring devices, being appointed president and CEO in 1998. He was appointed chairman of the board in 1999, a position he still holds. He also serves as chairman of the board of Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals. Hodgman holds a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Utah.

Ms. Emily Liggett, Director


Emily Liggett joined Immersion's board of directors on February 27, 2006. From 2004 to May 2007, she served as president and CEO of Apexon, Inc., a provider of supply performance management software for manufacturers. From 2002 to 2003, she was interim president and CEO at Capstone Turbine Corporation. Liggett began a 17-year career with Raychem in 1984 and continued with Tyco after it acquired Raychem as managing director of Tyco Ventures. From 1997 to 2000, she was president and CEO of Elo TouchSystems, a Raychem subsidiary, and from 1995 to 1997, she was division manager of Raychem Telecommunications and Energy Division. Other positions at Raychem included sales, marketing, and operations management. Prior to Raychem, Liggett held positions at McKinsey, DuPont, the European Community, EPFL, and Bell Labs. She holds an MBA and a master's degree in Engineering from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree in Engineering from Purdue University.

Mr. Jack Saltich, Chairman of the Board

Mr. Saltich has served as the Chairman of the Board since February 2009, and as a member of the Board since January 2002. Mr. Saltich also served as Lead Independent Director from October 2007 to February 2009. Since February 2006, Mr. Saltich has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vitex Systems, Inc., a developer of transparent ultra-thin barrier films for use in the manufacture of next-generation flat panel displays. From July 1999 to August 2005, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Three-Five Systems, Inc., a technology company specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of customer displays and display systems. Three-Five Systems, Inc. filed a voluntary petition for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on September 8, 2005. From 1993 to 1999, Mr. Saltich served as a Vice President of Advanced Micro Devices, where his last position was General Manager of its European Microelectronics Center in Dresden, Germany. Mr. Saltich also serves on the Board of Directors of Leadis Technology, Ramtron International Corporation, Atmel Corporation and on the Manufacturing Advisory Board for Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. Mr. Saltich received both a B.S. and an M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois.

Mr. David Sugishita, Director


David Sugishita joined Immersion's board of directors on June 4, 2010. Mr. Sugishita has served as the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Atmel Corporation since August 2006 and as a director of Atmel since February 2004. In addition, Mr. Sugishita is Chairman of both the Audit Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of Atmel. Mr. Sugishita also serves as a director and Chairman of the Audit Committee for Ditech Networks, Inc. Mr. Sugishita previously served on the board of directors of Micro Component Technology, Inc. from 1994 to 2009. Since 2000, Mr. Sugishita has taken 2 various short-term assignments including Executive Vice President of Special Projects at Peregrine Systems from December 2003 to July 2004 and Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer at SONICblue, Inc. from January 2002 to April 2002. Prior to 2000, Mr. Sugishita held various senior financial management positions at Synopsys (Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer) from 1997 to 2000; Actel (Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer) from 1995 to 1997; Micro Component Technology (Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer) from 1994 to 1995; Applied Materials (Vice President/Corporate Controller) from 1991 to 1994; and National Semiconductor (Vice President/Finance) from 1978 to 1991. Mr. Sugishita holds a B.S. degree in business administration from San Jose State University and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University.

Mr. Victor Viegas, Director

Viegas joined Immersion as Chief Financial Officer in 1999, was part of the team that took the company public, and was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2002. Under Viegas’s leadership the company built a strong intellectual property portfolio with a deep and defensible position in haptics today with over 900 patents granted or pending.  The company successfully defended its portfolio in two high profile cases, netting in excess of $150 M for the company. The company invested in markets and technologies organically and through several acquisitions that have become long-term growth opportunities, and Viegas steered the company to profitability in 2007. He retired in early 2008 and returned to the active leadership role in October 2009. Prior to Immersion, Viegas served as Chief Financial Officer of Macrovision Corporation, a developer and licensor of video and software copy protection technologies. From 1986 to 1996, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Balco Incorporated, a manufacturer of advanced automotive service equipment. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University.

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