NETGEAR that Patrick C.S. Lo, current Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board, is retiring from his position at NETGEAR and from the company’s Board. Lo will remain as a strategic advisor to support a seamless leadership transition through July 2024.
NETGEAR's Board has appointed Charles (CJ) Prober, a senior technology executive, to succeed him effective immediately. Prober is also joining NETGEAR’s Board of Directors. is experience spans leadership positions at top consumer and technology brands, including roles as President of Life360, CEO at Tile (acquired by Life360), Chief Operating Officer at GoPro, and SVP of Digital Publishing at Electronic Arts (EA).
“As co-founder of NETGEAR, and leader for nearly three decades, it goes without saying that Patrick Lo’s impact on the company is undeniable. His vision for delivering the future of connectivity through advanced networking products and solutions has shaped who we are as a company, and we celebrate all he has accomplished,” said Thomas H. Waechter, NETGEAR Lead Independent Director. “CJ has the full confidence of the Board. We look forward to working with him and the NETGEAR leadership team to take the company forward for its next phase of innovation.”
“When Mark Merrill and I founded NETGEAR 28 years ago, the internet was beginning to show its impact on the world,” said Lo. “We seized the opportunity, and we’ve been innovating and leading the industry in the creation of advanced networking technologies for homes and businesses around the world ever since. We’ve pushed the boundaries of what can be experienced in a connected world, and I am all for the next chapter of the NETGEAR story.”
- Separately, NETGEAR released preliminary financial figures, saying it currently expects net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2023 to be between $179 million and $189 million, compared to prior guidance of $175 million to $190 million for the fourth quarter of 2023. The company continued to experience strong underlying demand in the premium portion of its CHP product portfolio, riding on the success of its Orbi WiFi 7 launch which continued through the holiday season. The Company is also encouraged that its retail channel partners maintained their inventory positions as expected. The Company continued to work with its SMB channel partners to optimize their inventory carrying levels. The uncertain macro environment created by high interest rates, geopolitical tensions, and stagnant GDP growth in certain markets continued to weigh on the Company’s SMB business as expected.
