Former Apple CEO Gil Amelio Lands A New CEO Job

by , 2:30 PM EST, February 6th, 2001

Former Apple CEO Gil Amelio has found a new job with a small company called Advanced Communications Technologies, Inc. (ADC). ADC is the US arm of an Australian firm that has developed a product for the wireless communications industry called SpectruCell. SpectruCell supports multiple protocols and is software upgradeable, which is a big boon to that the cell phone market.

Officially, Dr. Amelio is joining the ADC's Board of Directors, but the company's press release says that is "expected" that he will take the mantle of Chairman and CEO after negotiations are completed. Dr. Amelio was the CEO of Apple for some 15 months in 1996 and 1997, having taken over after taking over from Mike "the Diesel" Spindler. Dr. Amelio was brought to Apple as a turn around artist and succeeded in making sweeping changes to the company including massive (and much needed) layoffs and several restructurings. He also trimmed the product line and tried to bring discipline to Apple's legendary engineering staff. Dr. Amelio also killed Apple's ill-fated Copland project that was attempting to make a new operating system to replace the Mac OS. His solution was to buy NeXT Computer, whose founder, Steve Jobs, was Apple's cofounder. Mr. Jobs came on to Apple as an advisor to Dr. Amelio, and the rest is history.

Prior to his stint at Apple, Dr. Amelio had successfully turned around National Semiconductor. He has earned some 16 patents during his career. According to ADC:

Advanced Communications Technologies, Inc. today announced that the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Apple Computer Inc. , Dr. Gilbert F. Amelio, has agreed to join the board of directors of Advanced Communications Technologies Inc.

Dr. Amelio and his management team from Beneventure Capital, LLC have entered into a management consulting contract to provide management services to the company. It is anticipated that Dr. Amelio will assume the role of Chairman and CEO of ACT-US upon completion of a formal contract.

The agreement was reached in the Melbourne, Australia offices of ACT-US's affiliate, Advanced Communications Technologies (Australia) Pty Ltd, where Dr. Amelio has conducted an extensive review of the SpectruCell technology and had meetings with members of the SpectruCell development team.

Under the agreement, Dr. Amelio and his company Beneventure Capital will provide professional management services to ACT-US and ACT Australia, specifically directed at planning for the global commercialization of the SpectruCell multiple protocol wireless base station technology. Upon completion of the formal agreement, Dr. Amelio and his management team will assume management control of ACT-US.

Dr. Amelio will also join the board of Directors of ACT-Australia, and Australon Limited.

Dr. Amelio received his Ph.D. in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology and served as a member of its advisory board from 1981 to 1987.

You can find more information on ADC at the company's Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Dr. Amelio was much maligned during most of his stat at Apple, and we think this is not warranted. Dr. Amelio inherited a problem that was far broader in scope than anyone had really realized in trying to put Apple back on track. He made many sweeping changes that had to be made, but he wasn't the right person to give Apple back its vision. With that in mind, the restructuring he did made it much easier for Steve Jobs to do the kind of job he needed to do. This doesn't shortchange the efforts of Mr. Jobs either as both men made a Herculean effort, each in their own way.

Interestingly, ADC is a rather small company at this point, and the company is traded as an Over The Counter stock.

Advanced Communications Technologies, Inc.