Learning with Leo: Drones—Meeting Demand Without Compromise
Nolan’s Notes: Our Spotlight on North America
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Building a Supply Chain That Bends, Not Breaks
Fabrinet Appoints Forbes Alexander to Board of Directors
June 14, 2024 | BUSINESS WIREEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Fabrinet, a leading provider of advanced optical packaging and precision optical, electro-mechanical and electronic manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers of complex products, announced that Forbes Alexander has been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors, expanding the Board to eight members. Mr. Alexander will also serve as a member of the Board’s Audit Committee.
Mr. Alexander is an accomplished leader who brings extensive executive experience and financial knowledge to the Board. Mr. Alexander has served as a founding partner of Steadfast Partners LLP, an industrial technology advisory group, since January 2020. Mr. Alexander served as Executive Vice President of Jabil Inc. (NYSE: JBL), a global electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company, from September 2018 to January 2020, as Chief Financial Officer of Jabil from September 2004 to August 2018, and in other roles in finance at Jabil from 1993 to 2004. Prior to his roles at Jabil, Mr. Alexander held various finance roles in companies such as Tandy Electronics, Ltd., Octocom Systems U.K. Ltd. and Apollo Computer (acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 1989).
“Forbes brings extensive skills and experience to our Board of Directors,” said Tom Mitchell, Chairman of Fabrinet’s Board of Directors. “As an EMS industry veteran and financial leader, Forbes provides valuable executive perspectives that will benefit our organization as we continue to scale.”
Seamus Grady, Chief Executive Officer of Fabrinet, said “We are thrilled to have someone with Forbes’ distinguished experience and deep knowledge of the EMS space joining our Board. Combined with his many years of financial leadership, Forbes is an excellent addition to our organization, as we continue to advance our leadership position as a trusted manufacturing partner of the world’s most demanding OEMs.”
“I am excited and honored to be joining Fabrinet’s Board at this dynamic time in the company’s history,” said Mr. Alexander. “Fabrinet has carved a unique leadership position in the EMS industry, while expanding its excellent reputation in the marketplace. I am looking forward to contributing to the company’s continued growth and success.”
Previously, Mr. Alexander was a member of the board of directors and audit committee of McDermott International, Inc., a global engineering, procurement, construction and installation company, from June 2018 to April 2020 and Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. (which merged into McDermott in 2018), an engineering, procurement and construction company, from May 2017 to May 2018. Mr. Alexander also currently serves on the board of directors of the Entrepreneurial Scotland Foundation (USA), a non-profit organization. Mr. Alexander earned a bachelor of arts degree in accounting from Abertay University.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Your magazines are a great platform for people to exchange knowledge. Thank you for the work that you do."
Simon Khesin - Schmoll MaschinenSuggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/08/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007This week, I’ve selected some outstanding interviews that you’ll want to take note of. First, is a roundtable discussion featuring three dynamic industry cybersecurity experts. Please watch this important discussion that affects us all. Following that, I spotlight the IPC-2581 Consortium, which explains why IPC-2581 is the standard to replace Gerber data for manufacturing. Next, I am including my interview with PCBAA and AAM, who collaborated to release a short documentary on U.S. PCB manufacturing.
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
ViaSat-3 F3 Satellite Successfully Launches from Kennedy Space Center
05/04/2026 | BoeingBoeing mission controllers confirmed that the ViaSat-3 F3 (VS-3 F3) satellite is healthy in orbit following its successful launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at 10:13 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
Microchip Expands Post-Quantum Root of Trust Controllers
04/29/2026 | MicrochipAs the industry embarks on the transition to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC), Microchip Technology is expanding its portfolio of Trust Shield, PQC‑ready devices with the TS1800 Platform Root of Trust controller and the TS50x secure boot controller.
Is China Plus One Still Happening in the PCB Industry?
04/28/2026 | Manfred Huschka, Manfred Huschka Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Ltd.For much of the past five years, China Plus One has been shorthand for supply-chain diversification: reducing dependency on mainland China by adding manufacturing capacity elsewhere in Asia. In the PCB industry, however, in early 2026, it is more nuanced. It looks less like a clean geographic shift and more like a layered, capital-intensive rebalancing of global capacity, one that still leaves China deeply embedded at the center.