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Qualcomm promotes its own

The company promotes three of its top executives, including naming a new president.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
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Roger Cheng

Qualcomm said today that it will promote three of its top executives in a reshuffling of the management responsibilities.

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The San Diego wireless technology company will move Steve Altman over to vice chairman from president. Steve Mollenkopf, who runs the CDMA technologies business, will take over as president and chief operating officer. Derek Aberle, who runs the licensing business, was promoted to executive vice president and group president.

The changes take effect on November 12. Altman and Mollenkopf will continue to report to CEO Paul Jacobs, while Aberle will report to Mollenkopf.

Mollenkopf and Aberle will get expanded roles in the company, which has been pushing to maintain its lead in the mobile processor business and retain its licensing revenue as the industry moves to next-generation wireless technology. Altman, meanwhile, will provide direction on the company's overall vision and strategy.

It's been a steady rise for Mollenkopf, who joined Qualcomm in 1994 as an engineer and came on to the CDMA technologies business five years later. The company has been increasingly pushing for a more visible role for the executive over the past year.