William D. Watkins, President and Chief Executive Officer, Seagate

In April 2004, the board of directors of Seagate Technology announced the planned succession of Bill Watkins to president and chief executive officer, effective July 3, 2004.

Watkins was promoted from his former position as president and chief operating officer, which he has held since June 2000. Since that time, Watkins has been responsible for the company's hard disc drive operations, including recording heads, media and other components, and related R&D and product development organizations. Watkins came to Seagate from Conner Peripherals.