Bill Watkins (Seagate)
Encyclopedia
William D. Watkins is the former chief executive officer of Seagate Technology
, the world's largest manufacturer of hard drives. Watkins was appointed as the company's CEO in 2004 and served in this position until January 2009. He was appointed as CEO of BridgeLux, an emerging solid state lighting company in Silicon Valley, in January 2010.
Between June 2000 and July 2004, Watkins served as president and chief operating officer and was responsible for Seagate's global hard disk drive operations. He was elected to Seagate's board of directors in 2004.
Watkins joined Seagate in 1996 as part of the company's merger with Conner Peripherals
. While at Conner, he established the Conner Disk Division and managed its success through the merger with Seagate.
In an interview with Forbes magazine in 2006, Watkins recalled how the company's management culture rewarded those who "yelled the loudest" in meetings. Watkins was also frustrated by the fact that just 2 percent of Seagate's products shared common parts. He demanded the company's engineers design products that could be built using common components and machinery. The engineers started small, reducing the number of screws used in each product, and worked their way up to complex heads that write data onto the disks. Today, every one of Seagate's products can be manufactured on any of its line in any of its factories. Watkins's efficiency gains won him the job of chief operating officer in 1998.
He currently serves on the board of directors of the Silicon Valley chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, along with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. He also serves on the executive advisory council for IDEMA and the executive advisory board of the Juran Center for Leadership in Quality at the University of Minnesota.
An avid adventure racer, Watkins, 55, created "Eco Seagate" in 2000, as a way to change the company's often-divisive culture. He wanted to instill a greater sense of teamwork and accountability throughout the company. Each year, 200 employees spend a week hiking, kayaking, mountain biking and rappelling in preparation for a grueling one-day race. Participants are divided into teams led by a member of Watkins's executive team. The group must complete the course together, by supporting their weakest members. Seagate spends $2 million for every event, which has been held in New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii over the years. Watkins says the event has helped build a more collaborative environment at Seagate.
"It's all about the strength of the team," Watkins said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006. "You're always going to have team members who are weak. How do you work together to get through it? The whole idea is to get people relating to each other."
Watkins is also the owner of the Washington Stealth
professional lacrosse team, which won the National Lacrosse League
West Division Regular Season title in 2008.
He is married with three children, Kelly Casey and Christopher.
He ceased being the CEO of Seagate in early 2009 after being removed from the post.
He joined the Board of Directors of Vertical Circuits Inc. in March 2009.
Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives. Incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology, Seagate is currently incorporated in Dublin, Ireland and has its principal executive offices in Scotts Valley, California, United States.-1970s:On November 1, 1979...
, the world's largest manufacturer of hard drives. Watkins was appointed as the company's CEO in 2004 and served in this position until January 2009. He was appointed as CEO of BridgeLux, an emerging solid state lighting company in Silicon Valley, in January 2010.
Between June 2000 and July 2004, Watkins served as president and chief operating officer and was responsible for Seagate's global hard disk drive operations. He was elected to Seagate's board of directors in 2004.
Watkins joined Seagate in 1996 as part of the company's merger with Conner Peripherals
Conner Peripherals
Conner Peripherals was a company that manufactured hard drives for personal computers. Conner Peripherals was founded in 1985 by Seagate Technology co-founder Finis Conner but it in itself never produced a product. In 1986 Conner Peripherals merged with CoData, started by MiniScribe founders Terry...
. While at Conner, he established the Conner Disk Division and managed its success through the merger with Seagate.
Biography
Watkins's early life was marked by frequent moves. His father, a field manager in the oil industry, relocated the family every five years, from Venezuela to Canada to Wyoming, eventually settling in Pampa,Texas. After graduating from Pampa High School in 1971, Watkins enlisted in the Army as a medic, assisting injured Vietnam veterans at a Missouri base. After leaving the Army and graduating from the University of Texas, Watkins hitchiked to California, where he landed a job at Xidex, a Silicon Valley floppy disk manufacturer. More senior-level jobs followed at Domain, a drive-component manufacturer, and Conner. When Seagate acquired Conner, then-CEO Al Shugart made Watkins responsible for the company's four drive factories.In an interview with Forbes magazine in 2006, Watkins recalled how the company's management culture rewarded those who "yelled the loudest" in meetings. Watkins was also frustrated by the fact that just 2 percent of Seagate's products shared common parts. He demanded the company's engineers design products that could be built using common components and machinery. The engineers started small, reducing the number of screws used in each product, and worked their way up to complex heads that write data onto the disks. Today, every one of Seagate's products can be manufactured on any of its line in any of its factories. Watkins's efficiency gains won him the job of chief operating officer in 1998.
He currently serves on the board of directors of the Silicon Valley chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, along with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. He also serves on the executive advisory council for IDEMA and the executive advisory board of the Juran Center for Leadership in Quality at the University of Minnesota.
An avid adventure racer, Watkins, 55, created "Eco Seagate" in 2000, as a way to change the company's often-divisive culture. He wanted to instill a greater sense of teamwork and accountability throughout the company. Each year, 200 employees spend a week hiking, kayaking, mountain biking and rappelling in preparation for a grueling one-day race. Participants are divided into teams led by a member of Watkins's executive team. The group must complete the course together, by supporting their weakest members. Seagate spends $2 million for every event, which has been held in New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii over the years. Watkins says the event has helped build a more collaborative environment at Seagate.
"It's all about the strength of the team," Watkins said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006. "You're always going to have team members who are weak. How do you work together to get through it? The whole idea is to get people relating to each other."
Watkins is also the owner of the Washington Stealth
Washington Stealth
The Washington Stealth are a member of the National Lacrosse League, the professional box lacrosse league of North America. Based in Everett , the Stealth began play in the 2010 NLL season, with home games played at the 8,513-seat Comcast Arena at Everett.The team was previously known as the...
professional lacrosse team, which won the National Lacrosse League
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League is a men's professional indoor lacrosse league in North America. It currently has nine teams; three in Canada and six in the United States. Unlike other lacrosse leagues which play in the summer, the NLL plays its games in the winter and spring. Each year, the playoff...
West Division Regular Season title in 2008.
He is married with three children, Kelly Casey and Christopher.
He ceased being the CEO of Seagate in early 2009 after being removed from the post.
He joined the Board of Directors of Vertical Circuits Inc. in March 2009.