Intel Australia managing director Kate Burleigh departs after 20 years

Intel Australia managing director Kate Burleigh will leave the vendor after 20 years.

Burleigh joined Intel in 1996 and was chosen to lead the Australian and New Zealand business as managing director in 2012. Prior to that, Burleigh was ANZ marketing and retail sales director from 2005 to 2012, covering retail channel sales and marketing, consumer, SMB and enterprise marketing.

During her tenure, Burleigh oversaw local operations as Intel transformed from a PC-focused vendor and branched out into areas such as the internet of things and data centre solutions.

Burleigh is also an advocate for STEM education and the need for smart government policy and technology innovation.

“I’m proud to say that I joined Intel when Andy Grove was still CEO and I’m as excited today as I was all those years ago about the transformative innovation that Intel is driving," said Burleigh.

"Although it is incredibly hard to leave such a fantastic company and so many great people, the time seems right for me to make a career change and pursue opportunities outside of Intel. I have been privileged to be at the centre of technology transformation thanks to Intel and trust I will have the chance to apply my passion for innovation in my future career.”

Intel said it would announce Burleigh's replacement in due course. Her last day will be 30 June.

Intel VP sales and marketing group Jerry Tsao thanked Burleigh for her passion and dedication to the vendor.

"Kate brought a new energy and creativity to the managing director role in Australia and New Zealand. Under her leadership, Intel’s impact extended well beyond our traditional customer base and channels," he said.

Six months ago, another prominent female Australian managing director left her role, when Microsoft's Pip Marlow left the software giant to join Suncorp.