AEM - Key Persons
Our mission is to provide the most comprehensive semiconductor and electronics test solutions based on the best-in-class technologies, processes, and customer support. Our core technology pillars and expertise in engineering and deploying custom, application-specific systems at scale for our customers enable us to meet our customers' current and future test and handling needs.
As Chief Executive Officer of AEM, Chandran Nair takes the lead in growing the global business and expanding product offerings for the company. Together with his regional teams, Chandran is responsible for elevating AEM's position as the global leader in offering application-specific, intelligent system test and handling solutions for semiconductor and electronics companies serving the advanced computing, 5G, and AI markets.
With over 25 years of an established career in the semiconductor and instrumentation and technology industries, Chandran is experienced in various portfolios, including engineering, sales, marketing, and strategic planning. He has led teams in Asia, Europe, and the US to implement sales and marketing strategies and technology roadmaps to create robust and sustainable business growth and established meaningful relationships with partners and employees.
Prior to joining AEM, Chandran was the President of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Business Unit at ST Engineering, driving the projects on autonomous vehicles and robotics solutions for ports, logistics warehouses, and transport. Before ST Engineering, Chandran joined National Instruments (NI) in 1997. He was responsible for the growth of the industry-standard modular instrumentation platform, PXI, and the expansion of NI's offices in APAC as Vice President. Under his leadership, NI's business in APAC achieved revenue growth of almost USD400 million.
Chandran is recognized as an accomplished business leader as well as an expert and thought leader in the engineering and tech global community. The Asian Manufacturing Awards presented him with the Industry Leader of the Year (2016). He sits on the board of the Singapore Science Centre, the advisory board of the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), the advisory board of Singapore University of Technology and Design, and is a Regional Advisory Board member of SEMI Southeast Asia.
Chandran is committed to inspiring, coaching, and empowering the people around him to innovate and grow their business.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive, Non - Independent Director, Member of the Audit & Risk Management Committee, and Member of the Strategy Committee
Age: 58
After helming the company as its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Chok Yean Hung joined AEM's Board of Directors. As a board member, Mr. Chok continues to provide his insights, management, and technical experience. With over 30 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, he is highly recognised for his foresight and aptitude to build and grow start-up companies to sustainable, independent, publicly-listed companies. Before his tenure with AEM, Mr. Chok successfully co-founded two OSAT companies, UTAC and Ellipsiz Test/EEMS Asia.
As Chief Financial Officer of AEM, Leong Sook Han leads all aspects of the company's finance function, including business planning, budgeting, forecasting, and risk and governance. Han provides clarity in AEM's long-term financial plan and maintains transparency and high integrity for the company.
Han is a successful and hands-on finance executive with more than 20 years of financial management experience across multiple industries and previous experiences as Chief Financial Officer for Singapore Listed companies. She has more than ten years of experience in leadership positions working in China, Hong Kong, and Europe with expertise in fundraising, capital markets financing, and structuring, managing portfolios of assets and M&A.
Prior to joining AEM, Han was the Group Chief Financial Officer at Hong Leong Asia Limited, a listed company on the Singapore Exchange, and Rotary Engineering Limited. She has also worked for ten years at Royal Phillips N.V. across multiple divisions and markets. This included a headquarter assignment in the Netherlands, Head of Corporate Finance in an independent joint venture business, Head of Treasury of Phillips China, and Head of Finance in a business division headquartered in Hong Kong.
Job Titles:
- Independent Director, Member of the Nominating Committee, Member of the Remuneration Committee, and Member of the Strategy Committee
Age: 68
Mr. Loh Kin Wah has extensive leadership experience in the semiconductor industry. He is a Member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Technology Committee at AMS AG, Non-Executive Chairman at Kinergy Corporation Ltd, Director at UTAC Pte Ltd, and Chairman of Huba Control AG. Over the last 30 years, his appointments include Vice Chairman of Ampleon BV, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing of NXP Semiconductors, President and CEO of Qimonda AG, and Executive Vice President, Communications Group of Infineon Technologies AG.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice - President, Sales
As Sr. Vice President of Global Sales, Mark Yaeger leads the sales and business development teams worldwide.
Together with his global sales leaders, Mark is responsible for revenue and customer base expansion leveraging on AEM's position as the global leader in offering application-specific, intelligent system tests and handling solutions for semiconductors and electronics companies serving the advanced computing, 5G, and AI markets.
With over 30 years of career experience in the semiconductor backend capital equipment and consumables industries, Mark is skilled in leading customer-facing sales teams, business development, and applications engineers. He has led teams in the US, Europe, and Asia to create customer-specific strategies to enable collaborative partnerships and sustained revenue growth.
Prior to joining AEM, Mark spent nearly three decades in the automated test equipment industry. He started his career at Schlumberger as a Field Service Engineer, and rose to become an executive sales leader driving global initiatives. Mark has been located in the US and Singapore. He has mentored sales teams with >$400M of revenue, provided change management guidance to his teams while expanding his customer base, and led global field service and applications teams.
Before joining AEM, Mark was the Vice President of Global Sales for R&D Altanova, a market leader for high-performance automated test equipment electrical interfaces and load boards.
Job Titles:
- Independent Director, Chairman of the Nominating Committee, and Member of the Strategy Committee
Age: 60
Mr. André Andonian has over 30 years of experience in consulting companies across the Semiconductors, Industrials & Electronics, Automotive & Assembly, and Aerospace & Defense industries on strategic, operational, and organizational topics. He has extensive experience in transforming companies into global leaders and in the assessment and development of talent. He has held multiple executive leadership roles across Europe, the U.S. and Asia over his 34 years at McKinsey & Company, such as Managing Partner of McKinsey Japan, Global and Americas Leader of McKinsey's Advanced Industries Sector, and most recently, the Managing Partner of McKinsey Korea. He currently supports McKinsey & Company as Special Advisor/Senior Partner Emeritus in North Asia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Founding Director of Novo Tellus Capital Partners
- Lead Independent Director, Chairman of the Remuneration Committee, Member of the Audit & Risk Management Committee, and Member of the Nominating Committee
Age: 58
Mr. James Toh is a founding director of Novo Tellus Capital Partners, a Singapore-based private equity firm. Mr. Toh started his career in management consulting, at Booz Allen & Hamilton, and subsequently A.T. Kearney. For the last 25 years, he has been investing in property and private equity in Asia and the US, via his family company, ACT Holdings Pte. Ltd.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Non - Executive Chairman, Chairman of the Strategy Committee, and Member of the Nominating Committee
Age: 54
Mr. Loke Wai San has been the Chairman of AEM since 2011 and served as Executive Chairman from 2017 to 2020. He is also the founder and CEO of private equity fund adviser Novo Tellus Capital Partners. With over 28 years of global technology management and investment experience, Mr. Loke helped transform AEM from a regional automation company to an emerging global technology provider of semiconductor backend test solutions. He has also provided leadership for AEM's acquisitions. Mr. Loke also serves on the board of Temasek Polytechnic and on the boards of several other public and private companies in the region.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Head of Strategic Development, and Joint Head of Enterprise Development Group of Temasek International
- Non - Executive, Non - Independent Director, Member of the Nominating Committee, Member of the Remuneration Committee, and Member of the Strategy Committee
Age: 55
Mr. Russell Tham brings extensive experience in the technology industry. Mr. Tham is currently the Head of Strategic Development, and Joint Head of Enterprise Development Group of Temasek International, focusing on building new businesses and investing globally in early-stage high potential Science & Technology ventures. He was the President of Applied Materials Southeast Asia from 2009 to 2018, leading the regional business and overseeing the company's expansion into manufacturing, supply chain, R&D, and product development for global markets in Singapore.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Independent Director and Chairman of Audit & Risk Management Committee
Age: 55
Ms. Alice Lin brings a wealth of leadership experience that spans the corporate, investments, and philanthropic sectors. She served as CFO of Oracle Asia Pacific, managing finance and M&A for the multi-billion US-listed technology company in the region. Ms. Lin's experience covers multiple geographies and functions, including a stint as Director of Globalisation at Oracle. She is a shareholder and director of Green Mountains Investments Ltd., focusing on a broad range of late-stage and listed companies. She was a founding board member of Asian University for the Women Support Foundation in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Job Titles:
- Chief Technology Officer
- President ( AEM International ) & Chief Technology Officer
As Chief Technology Officer of AEM, Samer Kabbani is responsible for the development and organization of AEM's overall technology strategy and advancement. Samer focuses on ensuring that AEM offers disruptive and differentiating solutions to customers across the Semiconductor Test space and raises AEM's profile as a leading technology partner.
Together with his regional teams, Samer ensures that the company's core technology development, roadmap, and R&D strategy are ahead of the technology curve to effectively support and raise our customers' global manufacturing capabilities.
With over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor capital equipment industry, Samer has extensive experience in leading technology M&A, innovation and product development, business strategies development and implementation, and competitive strategy. He excels in product innovation and development that is designed to align to both market and customer requirements.
Before joining AEM, Samer was the Executive Vice President at Advantest and Astronics Test Systems, respectively. In his 14-year tenure at Cohu, Samer served in key senior management roles, including Delta Design Systems president.
Samer is a prolific innovator with more than 30 registered patents in areas of advanced thermal management, photoresist processing, factory automation, and vision alignment and inspection.
Job Titles:
- Vice - President, Corporate Development, Corporate Marketing & IT