Intel Hires HP’s Christoph Schell As Chief Commercial Officer

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger says Christoph Schell will be crucial to his comeback plan as the new head of the chipmaker’s Sales, Marketing and Communications Group: ‘I’m confident Christoph is the right leader to take on this critical role and guide the talented SMG organization to achieve our growing ambitions.’

Intel has hired HP Chief Commercial Officer Christoph Schell to lead the chipmaker’s Sales, Marketing and Communications Group, which will give him purview over the company’s Intel Partner Alliance program.

Schell is taking his title from HP Inc. to Intel, where he is succeeding Michelle Johnston Holthaus, who was selected to lead the chipmaker’s PC business, its biggest moneymaker, in January. Schell will begin his new role as an executive vice president and chief commercial officer March 15, the company announced Friday afternoon.

[Related: Intel Taps Oracle Exec To Lead Cloud Group In Data Center Reorg]

“Christoph has an exceptional track record of driving innovative and disruptive go-to-market strategies around the globe,” Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said in a statement. “He brings expertise in understanding business segments, verticals and the solutions and services customers want.”

Gelsinger added that Schell will be crucial to his comeback plan that was outlined during the Intel Investor Day 2022 meeting on Thursday. That plan includes an expansion into new markets for Intel, like the Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics business unit that is projected to reach $10 billion in revenue by 2026.

“We are harnessing our core strengths as an advantage to grow in our traditional markets and accelerate our entry into new ones,” he said. “I’m confident Christoph is the right leader to take on this critical role and guide the talented SMG organization to achieve our growing ambitions.”

Schell is joining Intel after working a total of 25 years for HP, where he became the PC and print giant’s first-ever chief commercial officer in November 2019. In that role, Schell led functions for customer and partner success as well as category management and customer support globally. He previously held senior management roles at HP, including president of 3-D printing and digital manufacturing.

As executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Schell will join Intel’s executive leadership team and be responsible for leading the company’s global sales, marketing and communications teams. This will make him responsible for creating “innovative sales and marketing approaches that broaden Intel’s business opportunities and deepen customer relationships worldwide,” the company said. John Kalvin, Intel’s global channel chief, will report to Schell.

“There is no other company as essential to the technology industry as Intel and it’s exciting to see how the company has returned to its roots over the past year – driving innovation deep into the silicon and all the way up the stack,” Schell said in a statement. “I look forward to joining Intel’s world-class leadership team at this pivotal moment in the company‘s history and helping to create even more value and opportunity for customers and partners around the world.”