Steve Milligan Intends to Retire as Western Digital CEO

Western Digital Corp. announced that Steve Milligan, CEO and a member of the board of directors since January 2013, has informed the board that he intends to retire as the company’s CEO.

He will continue to serve as CEO until the board has identified and appointed a successor, and then will remain with the company in an advisory role until September 2020 to ensure a transition. He will also remain a director on the company’s board for a transition period after his successor is appointed.

The board has initiated a search to identify next CEO, and has engaged Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., an executive search firm, to assist in the process. In order to facilitate a comprehensive process, the board will evaluate both internal and external candidates.

“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Steve for his significant contributions and dedicated years of service to Western Digital,” said Matthew Massengill, COB.

Since his appointment as CEO in 2013, he has led Western Digital’s transformation from a storage component provider to a diversified enabler of data infrastructure. The firm today has a broad portfolio, offering customers a combination of HDD storage and flash memory products. He has driven the execution of many key initiatives, including the company’s acquisition of SanDisk, the integration of Western Digital, HGST and SanDisk, as well as the extension of Western Digital’s 19-year partnership with Kioxia (formerly Toshiba Memory Corporation). Under his, he manufacturer has also built a culture of ethics and integrity, garnering international recognition as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.

“Western Digital has evolved since I first joined in 2002, and it has been an honor to lead this talented team through critical and transformative periods – not only for our company, but for the entire industry,” said Milligan. “We are currently at an inflection point in the semiconductor cycle and, as we prepare for a cyclical upturn, now is the right time to begin the transition to Western Digital’s next phase of leadership. Together, we have built a powerful platform and resilient business model that has remained nimble despite challenging market conditions. Importantly, I am confident in our team’s ability to build on our momentum to drive long-term growth and value creation.“

“The board and management team are committed to ensuring a smooth transition, and we are grateful that we’ll continue to benefit from Steve’s experience and perspective throughout this process,” he said. “As the board conducts its search for Steve’s successor, we are focused on identifying a strong leader with a proven track record of operating successfully at scale while defining and executing a growth strategy driven by innovation, operational excellence, and world-class talent development.”

About Steve Milligan
He has served as Western Digital CEO and as a director since January 2013. He first joined the company in 2002 and served as CFO from 2004 to 2007. From 2007 to 2009, he served as CFO of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST). In 2009, he was appointed president and CEO of HGST, where he led at operational and financial turnaround that culminated in Western Digital’s acquisition of HGST in March 2012. Since rejoining Western Digital in 2012, he has led the company’s ongoing evolution from a provider of storage components to a global diversified enabler of data infrastructure. He also led the acquisition of SanDisk in 2016, which further positioned the manufacturer as a long-term growth brand. Under his leadership, his fim has built a portfolio of HDD and flash products, including industry leading capacity enterprise drives and 3D-flash technology, that positions the company to provide new architectures and capabilities to manage the volume, velocity and variety of data. He serves as board chairman of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and is also on the board of directors of Autodesk, Ross Stores, Inc. and The Ohio State University Foundation.

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