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Dolby Laboratories has hired veteran tech exec Marc Whitten as president and CEO. He takes over the position from Kevin Yeaman, who is stepping down as chief executive of the audio and video technology company after
17 years.
The company said it selected Whitten to lead the company as part of “a thoughtful, long-term succession process.” Whitten will also join Dolby Laboratories’ board of directors. Yeaman will stay on as in an advisory role.
“Marc brings a combination of product vision, technological expertise and proven leadership,” Peter Gotcher, chairman of the board of Dolby Laboratories. “He has built and scaled category-defining businesses across industries, led global organizations through periods of transformation and brought together technologies, platforms and partnerships to create enduring growth. We are excited to have him lead Dolby’s next chapter.”
Prior to Dolby, Whitten most recently was VP of robotics at Meta. Earlier, he worked for Amazon as VP of entertainment devices and services, where he helped build its Alexa, Kindle and Fire TV product families. Whitten spent 17 years at Microsoft, where his posts included corporate VP and chief product officer of Xbox. He also served as CEO of Cruise, president of Unity Create and chief product officer of Sonos.
“Dolby has set the standard for how people experience sight and sound for decades and I believe the company’s greatest opportunities are still ahead,” said Marc Whitten. “As content, platforms and technologies continue to evolve, Dolby is uniquely positioned to matter even more for creators, partners and consumers. I’m incredibly excited to build on Dolby’s strong foundation and work alongside Dolby’s teams to drive innovation and create Dolby’s next chapter.”
Yeaman was named Dolby’s CEO in 2009, after joining the company in 2005 and serving as CFO. In his statement, Gotcher thanked Yeaman for his years of service. “Kevin’s vision, operational discipline and commitment to innovation have shaped Dolby into the company it is today,” Gotcher said. “By continuously bringing new innovations to life, he significantly expanded the company and led the era of immersive audio and visual experiences.”
Yeaman, in a statement provided by the company, said, “I’m deeply proud to have led Dolby through major shifts in technology and entertainment alongside such an exceptional team. Together, we changed the way the world experiences entertainment, broadened the reach of one of the world’s most recognizable brands and brought Dolby to billions of people. With the company well positioned for the future, this is the right moment to pass the torch, and I do so with complete confidence in Marc and the entire team to carry the company forward.”
David Dolby, director of Dolby Laboratories and son of company founder Ray Dolby, commented: “The inventor’s culture that Ray Dolby instilled in Dolby Laboratories has been a driving force for more than six decades. Each generation of leadership has expanded what is possible for the company. I’d like to thank Kevin for his many contributions. Our family and the board are confident in Marc’s leadership for the future.”
