66 | theceomagazine.com
A
s a CEO and savvy businessman,
there’s no doubting Thomas Seiler’s
impressive pedigree. After all, with
u-blox being the third company he
has successfully spearheaded, his track
record speaks for itself.
It’s when he talks about technology that you
realise it’s his genuine passion for the industry that
took him to the top, not the lure of prestige or title.
Take this executive out of the boardroom, and he’s
full of enthusiasm for a product most consumers
would barely notice, let alone care about.
U-blox, headquartered in Thalwil, Switzerland,
develops and distributes chips and modules for
wireless communication and positioning technology
for the automotive, industrial and consumer markets.
As a fabless company outsourcing manufacturing,
it invests heavily in R&D, focusing on providing
products and solutions for the Internet of Things,
serving customers and their many applications
around the world.
While many of us would struggle to explain the
highly technical role of an integrated circuit, Thomas
will not only detail how it works, or why, but also
where it will work in the future. His degree in
mechanical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology Zurich (ETH) and his MBA from
INSEAD in France, has ensured his firm grasp on
a relentlessly competitive industry. Don’t be fooled
by the suit – his eyes light up when he joins his
technical team to toss around ideas and offer his
own creative solutions and forward-thinking.There’s been a lot of that throughout his
career as CEO of first Melcher and then Kistler,
before joining u-blox in 2002 as head of sales
and marketing.
“I came to u-blox because I wanted to invest in
such a company and become a shareholder,” Thomas
admits. “The company has excellent technical
capabilities and exceptional business ideas. It was my
job to guide it into a growing and stable business.
“The job, of course, comprised many things,”
he adds. “You have to bring together processes and
attitudes and, in the beginning, it was crucial to
make sure the market understood what we actually
do and how good our products are. I was very
focused on establishing our corporate identity and
improving communication in the global market.
We expanded existing international sales channels
in the US, Europe and Asia to ensure we had access
to all available markets and customers.
“Of course, we also had our bigger customers to
cater for, and that involved expanding our internal
processes and relationships with our manufacturing
partners to handle increasing volumes.”
Last year, u-blox celebrated 20 years since being
founded as a spin-off from ETH, a triumph Thomas
attributes to the company’s culture and spirit. “I’m
very lucky to be still working alongside the founders
of this company,” Thomas says. “Together, we formed
the executive team and while I’ve always been
pragmatic, we still have the spirit of a start-up. We
spread this positive attitude and philosophy in the
company and use it to guide our new employees.FABLESS
Fabulous
Thomas Seiler is passionate about a product most consumers have no idea exists.
WORDS WENDY KAY • IMAGES U-BLOXINSPIRE | Interview