Kimball Electronics Appoints New Executives

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Kimball Electronics has made three new executive appointments involving Desiree Castillejos, Chris Thyen, and Kathy Thomson.

Castillejos has been appointed as the new chief strategy officer and vice president, Corporate Development and Mergers and Acquisitions. She joined Kimball Electronics from Nokia Technology where she most recently held the position of Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development, in charge of the Nokia IBM Alliance. She has over 15 years of experience working in corporate strategy and development, holding positions of increasing responsibilities with Nokia Technology, Persistent Systems, and Alcatel Lucent. She earned her technical degrees from the University of Technology Compiegne in France and her MBA from The Wharton School. She started August 13, 2018.

Thyen has been appointed vice president, New Platforms. Once the pending acquisition of global equipment services (GES) is completed, the GES business will report to him. Thyen has had a long and successful career with Kimball Electronics and Kimball International, the former parent company of Kimball Electronics until 2014. He has held positions of increasing responsibilities in operations and business development. Most recently, he was Vice President, Global Business Development and Design Services, for Kimball Electronics.

"Chris' leadership has been instrumental during our successful climb to exceed our goal of $1 billion in annual sales," stated Don Charron, chairman and CEO of Kimball Electronics. "I look forward to working with Chris and Desiree as we take further steps in the execution of our new platform strategy."

Thomson has been appointed as the new vice president, Global Business Development and Design Services, succeeding Thyen. She joins Kimball Electronics from Creation Technologies where she most recently held the position of vice president of business development. Thomson has over 15 years of EMS experience and has held positions of increasing responsibilities with Creation Technologies and Plexus Corp. She earned both her undergraduate degree and her MBA from Lakeland University. Thomson will start on August 20, 2018.

"Kathy, Chris, and I will be working together closely to ensure a seamless transition while keeping a steady focus on achieving our goal of 8% organic growth," said Charron. "We are really excited to have Desiree and Kathy join our executive team. Adding their talents and experiences will make us an even stronger team as we look beyond $1 billion in annual sales to the future growth of our company."

About Kimball Electronics Inc.

Recognized with a reputation for excellence, Kimball Electronics is committed to a high performance culture that values personal and organizational commitment to quality, reliability, value, speed, and ethical behavior. Kimball Electronics employees know they are part of a company culture that builds lasting relationships and global success for customers while enabling employees to share in the Company’s success through personal, professional, and financial growth.

Kimball Electronics trades under the symbol “KE” on The NASDAQ Stock Market. Kimball Electronics is a global contract electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company that specializes in durable electronics for the automotive, medical, industrial, and public safety end markets. Kimball Electronics is well recognized by customers and industry trade publications for its excellent quality, reliability, and innovative service. From its manufacturing operations in the United States, China, Mexico, Poland, Romania, and Thailand, Kimball Electronics provides electronic manufacturing services, including engineering and supply chain support, which utilize common production and support capabilities to a variety of industries globally. Kimball Electronics is headquartered in Jasper, Indiana.

To learn more about Kimball Electronics, click here.