UXBRIDGE, UK, October 10, 2005 – Xerox has named Dr. Sophie Vandebroek to the position of chief technology officer and president of the Xerox Innovation Group, effective January 1, 2006. Len Parker will succeed Vandebroek as chief engineer.
Vandebroek will drive Xerox’s long-term research and development strategy and lead one of the world’s premiere corporate research and technology organisations. Xerox laboratories have been the breeding ground for breakthrough innovations like the laser printer, copier and fax and for the industry’s broadest array of digital colour printers, multifunction devices and document-intensive workflow solutions.
She succeeds Dr. Hervé Gallaire, who will retire at the end of this year after a 13-year career with Xerox.
Vandebroek has been the company’s chief engineer and vice president of the Xerox Engineering Center. In her new role, she will oversee the company’s worldwide research and technology centres and teams of scientists and engineers with expertise in areas like colour marking systems, materials, digital imaging, and document management services. Xerox has generated a portfolio of more than 8,000 active patents, representing technical breakthroughs that strengthen the company’s leadership in the document management industry.
As chief engineer, a position she assumed in 2002, Vandebroek was responsible for coordinating Xerox’s engineering efficiency and effectiveness, a period during which Xerox refreshed more than 95 per cent of its office product line and launched its flagship iGen3® Digital Production Press. Prior to that, she served as chief technology officer at Carrier Corp. From 1991 until 2000, Vandebroek held a number of increasingly responsible roles at Xerox including technical advisor to Xerox’s chief operating officer and director of the Xerox Research Centre of Canada. Before joining Xerox, she performed research at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center and the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre in Belgium.
Vandebroek, 43, holds nine patents and is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a Fulbright Fellow, and a Fellow of the Belgian-American Educational Foundation. A native of Leuven, Belgium, Vandebroek earned a master's degree in electro-mechanical engineering from the Katholieke Universiteit, Belgium, and a doctorate in electrical engineering specialising in microelectronics from Cornell University in Ithaca.
Parker, 52, will succeed Vandebroek as vice president of the Xerox Engineering Centre, effective January 1. Parker will be responsible for Xerox's platform planning and product delivery effectiveness, providing the tools, processes and engineering competencies to ensure the continued development of the industry’s leading global products and solutions. He will also oversee Xerox’s Intellectual Property Organisation and the company’s DocuShare software business.
Parker is currently the chief technology officer of the Production Systems Group. He joined Xerox in 1980 as an electro-optical laser engineer and has held several senior engineering and product management roles, including vice president of Controller Platform & Customer Operations for office laser printers, vice president and general manager of the Office Systems Group, and vice president, chief technology officer of the company’s Document Systems & Solutions Group.
He is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, earning a master’s degree in printing technology and a bachelor’s degree in imaging science.
Gallaire has led Xerox’s research and technology organisation since 1999. Prior to that, he was director of the Xerox Research Centre Europe in Grenoble, France.
Gallaire joined Xerox in 1992 with credentials in industry, government and academia. He headed the department of mathematics and computer science at l'École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace in France from 1970 to 1980, and he created several private and public research laboratories in France and Germany.
Xerox Corporation operates research and technology centers in the United States, Canada and Europe, including the independent but wholly owned Palo Alto Research Center. For more information, visit www.xerox.com/innovation.
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About Xerox Europe
Xerox Europe, the European operations of Xerox Corporation, markets a comprehensive range of Xerox products, solutions and services, as well as associated supplies and software. Its offerings are focused on three main areas: offices from small to large, production print and graphic arts environments, and services that include consulting, systems design and management, and document outsourcing.
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