Enphase Energy Inc., a California-based energy technology company and major supplier of solar micro-inverters, has appointed Badri Kothandaraman the company’s new president and CEO and member of its board of directors. Kothandaraman succeeds Paul Nahi, who resigned after more than 10 years in the leadership role in August.
“We are thrilled to appoint Badri, a highly respected and accomplished leader with a proven track record of growth and operational excellence, as Enphase’s new president and CEO,” says Steve Gomo, lead independent director of Enphase Energy’s board of directors. “Following a thorough review of candidates, the board determined Badri’s ability to connect people, vision and ideas to drive strategy and execution make him an ideal fit for his new role at Enphase. We are confident he will help to lead Enphase through its next growth phase and reach its full potential in a rapidly changing solar industry.”
Prior to joining Enphase in April as chief operating officer, Kothandaraman gained strong technical, operational, strategy, and leadership experience during his 21-year career at Cypress Semiconductor. An engineer by training, Kothandaraman received his B.Tech degree from IIT Madras and an M.S. degree in materials science from U.C. Berkeley. He started his career with Cypress Semiconductor in 1995 and worked in process technology development and chip design before becoming vice president of the Asynchronous SRAM Business in 2008. Kothandaraman was subsequently promoted to executive vice president of Cypress’s Data Communications Division in November 2011 and spent the next five years building the USB 3.0, USB-C and the Internet of Things businesses. He also served as the executive director of Cypress Semiconductor Technology India Pvt. Ltd. from 2012 to 2016. Kothandaraman attended the Stanford Executive Program in 2008 and holds eight U.S. patents.
“I am excited about the opportunity to lead Enphase as we continue to explore growth opportunities and strengthen our leadership in renewable energy,” says Kothandaraman. “Enphase has an outstanding reputation for technology innovation and quality, and we are pleased with the ongoing rollout of our IQ platform and the Enphase Energized AC Module products. I look forward to working with a very talented team to create value for our employees, customers, shareholders, partners, and vendors.”
