Intel insists leadership team 'united' even as executive departures rack up

At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, Intel's Gregory Bryant unveiled its next generation core processors - Bloomberg

Intel has insisted its leadership team is more united than ever in the wake of chief executive Brian Krzanich's resignation last year, even as it continues its hunt for a replacement.

Gregory Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Client Computing Group, said: “Obviously you don't lose a CEO and you don't notice anything has changed, that would be silly.

“But I would say the leadership team at Intel, we've really pulled together as a whole group to execute the strategy. We fundamentally believe the strategy we have is working, and the board is going through its process [to find a new CEO]. They need to take the time to do a great job, it's an important job and we've said take the time you need.

“I feel like sometimes when the leader steps away and you're going through change, actually the team pulls closer together because you're supporting each other through the transition.”

Rumours have been circling over the past week that Intel could be readying to name Apple's Johny Srouji as its new boss, ahead of its earnings call later this month.

However, no decisions are thought to have yet been made, almost seven months after Mr Krzanich left the company following a “consensual relationship” with an employee.

At the time, Intel had said it had launched an investigation into a violation of its non-fraternisation policy, which it said applied to all managers, after having been informed of the past relationship.

Reports had suggested that relationship had started before Mr Krzanich became CEO and had ended a number of years ago.

However, Mr Krzanich has not been the only key executive to step down from the company. Earlier this month strategy chief Aicha Evans announced her resignation to join driverless car start-up Zoox.

Since 2017, it has also lost its chief financial officer, chief operating officer and senior vice president of its manufacturing unit.

The departures come as Intel transitions its business from being PC-centric to a data-led company. At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, Intel unveiled its next generation core processors, as well as previewing a new client platform, codenamed Lakefield.

Mr Bryant said: “I would say we have really reoriented the company where, for years, we were a PC-centric company.

“That's not to say PC doesn't matter anymore, its just to say we were exclusively a PC-centric company. Now we've reoriented ourselves in a data-centric era.”