ST Foundation appoints new chairman

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: ST Foundation, an independent charitable organization created by STMicroelectronics announced the appointment of Pietro Fox as its new chairman. Set up in 2001, the ST Foundation aims to develop, coordinate and sponsor projects employing the use of science and technology in the promotion of human progress and the sustainable development of less privileged communities around the world.

Pietro Fox has dedicated most of his professional life to STMicroelectronics, latterly as corporate VP for ST's Europe Region until his retirement in 2000. Since then, Fox has spent the past ten years supporting charitable activities, culminating in his selection by ST's executive management as the ideal person to embrace the Foundation's vision and further build upon the achievements of the prime instigator and former chairman of the Foundation, Carlo Ottaviani, who passed away in January this year.

The key focus for the ST Foundation in 2011 is to maximize the impact and efficiency of its most important program, called 'Digital Unify,' which has the goal to help bridge the digital divide: the gap between those who have access, and those who have not, to modern digital technologies. Fundamentally, the program aims to provide technology and basic training, free of charge, to those who have no knowledge of how to use a personal computer or access the internet.

"We set up the ST Foundation ten years ago, spearheaded by its first chairman Carlo Ottaviani, as a key plank in ST's goal to deliver excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility," said Carlo Bozotti, president and CEO of STMicroelectronics. "As an ST veteran with an additional track record in aiding human progress in less privileged communities, Pietro Fox has our full confidence and support to drive the Foundation on to even greater heights."