Santa Clara, Calif. – December 21, 2006 – Magellan, a leader in the consumer, survey, GIS and OEM GPS navigation and positioning markets, today announced that Nelson Chan has joined the company as its chief executive officer. Chan was most recently executive vice president and head of the consumer products business at SanDisk Corporation, the world’s largest supplier of flash memory based data storage products and a leader in mobile audio devices.
Chan held a number of leadership positions at SanDisk and helped drive the business from start up to over $3 billion in revenues. Chan led SanDisk’s entry into the retail business and was instrumental in creating and driving its retail presence through a broad product portfolio. That business has grown to over $2 billion in yearly revenue with product being available through nearly 200,000 stores worldwide.
“The breadth of Nelson’s management experience, his achievements in consumer retail and OEM, and his overall successful leadership record make Nelson an ideal CEO to lead Magellan as it further establishes its leadership in this dynamic GPS market,” commented Ajay Shah, chairman of the Magellan board of directors and founding partner of private equity firm Shah Capital Partners (SCP). SCP acquired Magellan in August of 2006.
“Magellan has already made a significant mark on the GPS market as an early innovator and a reliable provider in segments ranging from auto navigation and outdoor recreation to land survey,” said Chan. “I’m looking forward to taking Magellan into a new era of market leadership based on product innovation and operational excellence that will excite customers and the market.”
Under Chan’s leadership, SanDisk entered new markets with highly successful products. These key markets include the USB flash drive market, audio/video market, digital camera card market, and the mobile card market. Through his work at SanDisk and with industry organizations that he helped create, Chan drove the adoption of many different card formats. As a result these formats have become the industry standards that they are today.
Chan brings to Magellan more than 20 years of high-tech management experience, including several senior management positions in engineering, sales and marketing at SanDisk, Chips and Technologies, Signetics and Delco Electronics.
Chan, 45, holds an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University and a B.S. degree in both electrical and computer engineering from the University of California.
About Magellan
Magellan is a leader in the consumer, survey, GIS and OEM GPS navigation and positioning markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the Company is the creator of the award-winning Magellan RoadMate™ series portable car navigation systems, the Magellan eXplorist™ outdoor handheld navigation devices, the Hertz NeverLost car navigation system and ProMark™, the best-selling single frequency GPS survey product line on the market. The company is recognized worldwide through its Magellan brand and has experienced dramatic revenue growth as GPS technology has proliferated across a range of consumer and commercial applications.
The Company is privately held and headquartered in Santa Clara, California with European headquarters in Carquefou, France.
