VIERA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SkyCross, a global antenna designer and manufacturer, announced that Dennis McKenna has been appointed chief executive officer and president in addition to his existing position as chairman of the board. Effective immediately, McKenna succeeds Dr. Chris Morton, who will remain on the board of directors.

“Dennis McKenna is a proven leader with an established track record of driving positive results within the electronic components and systems industries,” said Don Martin, an investor and director of SkyCross. “As chairman of the board since November 2008, Dennis has provided a pragmatic and balanced approach to strategy, business development, and operational execution. With our recent acquisition of Shanghai Universe and our introduction of patented iMAT® technology, which enables a single antenna structure to replace multiple antennas, we have an exceptional value-creating opportunity for the next several years. Now is the time for a leadership handoff, and we are pleased to have Dennis, a high caliber executive, to continue to lead SkyCross forward.”

“To me, SkyCross is at an inflection point and is uniquely qualified to solve the challenges of multiple protocols, multiple frequencies, backward compatibility, strict price/performance requirements, and short consumer product life cycles—all compounded by the global hyper growth rate of wireless devices,” said McKenna. “With our innovative iMAT antennas and other patented technologies, we will further our position to support our customers and partners with exceptional service in the collaboration, design, manufacture, and fulfillment phases of these strategic relationships.”

“I am excited to lead a company with the potential that SkyCross has,” McKenna added. “My experience in leading both private and public technology companies and working with innovative employees is well suited to create value propositions that will further differentiate our company. This will translate to expanded growth and profitability that will benefit all of our constituents.”

McKenna brings more than 25 years of front-line leadership experience in high technology companies to SkyCross. Prior to joining SkyCross, McKenna was the CEO of Silicon Graphics, a leader in high performance computing and storage solutions, where he led a major financial and product repositioning that drove the company to its first profitable quarter in six years within a 15- month timeframe. Prior to his work at SGI, McKenna was CEO of privately held SCP Global Technologies, a provider of semiconductor capital equipment. While at SCP, his successes led to a strategic technology sale and an exit plan for its investors.

His first CEO position was as chairman and CEO of ChipPAC, a global semiconductor packaging and test services company with 6,000 employees. McKenna established ChipPAC by leading a leveraged buyout, taking the company public in 2000, and initiating a $1.6 billion merger with STATS of Singapore in 2004. From 1997 to 2004 the company grew from $72 million to approximately $600 million in revenue.

McKenna’s previous management roles in the technology industry have also included executive positions at Hyundai Electronics America and Oki Semiconductor. McKenna is also a member of the board of directors of public companies Smart Modular and Pericom Semiconductor. He graduated from Wayne State University with a business degree and started his career with Burroughs in Michigan.

“The board of directors acknowledges with gratitude Chris Morton’s service to SkyCross,” said Anthony Chang, a director of SkyCross and managing director of TL Ventures, a SkyCross investor. “Chris has steered the company through a multi-year period of growth and overseen and contributed to the development of our breakthrough iMAT technology, as well as identified and engineered the recent acquisition of Shanghai Universe. We are pleased that Chris will continue to contribute his passion for SkyCross as a member of the board.”

“It has been my honor to serve as the company’s leader for the past seven years and to foster the company’s spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Dr. Chris Morton. “I welcome Dennis McKenna into these additional roles of CEO and president, knowing he will deliver outstanding results for our stakeholders.”

About SkyCross

SkyCross (www.skycross.com) is a global designer and manufacturer of antenna solutions for the mobile phone, home entertainment, and computing industries. SkyCross provides high-performance antenna technology bundled with RF system-level expertise and responsive regional support from its full-service facilities in the USA, South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan. This convenient approach empowers device manufacturers to develop winning consumer electronics products and deliver them to market faster and easier.