Metawave Board Director Karen C. Francis Named ‘NACD Top 50’ Influential Corporate Director
Updated: Aug 21, 2019
Francis, Silicon Valley Leader and Automotive Industry Veteran, Receives National Association of Corporate Directors Highest Distinction
Washington DC and Palo Alto, CA – Metawave, groundbreaking radar and 5G technology innovator, along with The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) announced the appointment of one of this year’s esteemed honorees to its 2019 NACD Directorship 100, a list of the most influential leaders in the boardroom and corporate governance community. The NACD 100 list is comprised of the Top 50 Directors and the Top 50 service providers for corporate boards. Karen C. Francis, Metawave’s newest board member, will be recognized as one of the Top 50 Directors at this year’s NACD Directorship 100 black tie gala on June 26 in New York City.
Francis brings decades of experience, serving in executive leadership positions at General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Publicis & Hal Riney, Procter & Gamble, Bain & Company, and AcademixDirect. She now serves on several corporate and non-profit boards including Metawave, Nauto, Telenav, and PGA Reach. “I am honored to be named among this distinguished group of directors by NACD. It’s a privilege to work with the companies I serve to provide a strong foundation of good governance, strategic thinking, and mentorship during unprecedented innovation and disruption,” said Francis.
The NACD honorees represent a range of companies, including Adobe, Bank of America, Best Buy, Cisco, Citigroup, General Mills, Intel, Metawave, Target, and Verizon. “For decades, NACD has recognized individual directors who have demonstrated exemplary board leadership and courage in the boardroom,” said Peter R. Gleason, NACD president and CEO. “We commend Karen for achieving the highest level of excellence in the profession of directorship.”
Nominees are evaluated in four key categories: integrity, mature confidence, informed judgment, and high-performance standards. An independent selection committee reviews the nominees’ history of advancing board performance and leading corporate governance practices in accordance with established NACD principles. The principles are a framework that encourages excellence in areas, including risk oversight, corporate strategy, compensation, and transparency.
“Karen brings extensive experience in the automotive industry to help us accelerate our delivery of advanced radar to market,” said Metawave founder and CEO, Maha Achour. “She helps us achieve best-in-class corporate governance as we rapidly grow, gaining traction globally. On behalf of Metawave, I’d like to congratulate Karen on this well-deserved honor.”
About Metawave Metawave is revolutionizing the future of wireless communications and radar sensing. Leveraging meta-structures and AI, Metawave is building intelligent beam-steering radar for autonomous driving capable of 4D point-cloud imaging, non-line of sight object detection, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, making cars safer, smarter, and more connected. Metawave is also developing smart platforms for fixed wireless and 5G for faster infrastructure and near-instant connectivity for billions. Founded in 2017, Metawave is headquartered in Palo Alto, and has built its world leading lab in Carlsbad, CA. Visit us: www.metawave.co, @metawavecorp, Facebook, LinkedIn, or contact us at info@metawave.co.
Metawave is funded by auto industry leaders including DENSO, Toyota AI Ventures, Hyundai Motor Company, Infineon, and Asahi Glass. Additional strategic investors include Motus Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Autotech Ventures, Bold Capital, Thyra Global, SAIC Capital, Western Technology Investment, and Alrai Capital. The automotive radar market is predicted to exceed $9,475.4 million by 2023, according to Research and Markets.
About NACD
The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) empowers more than 20,000 directors to lead with confidence in the boardroom. As the recognized authority on leading boardroom practices, NACD helps boards strengthen investor trust and public confidence by ensuring that today’s directors are well prepared for tomorrow’s challenges. World-class boards join NACD to elevate performance, gain foresight, and instill confidence. Fostering collaboration among directors, investors, and corporate governance stakeholders, NACD has been setting the standard for responsible board leadership for 40 years.
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Media Contacts:
Metawave | Kelly Brieger | www.metawave.co | kelly@metawave.co | 650-704-1748
NACD | Susan Oliver | www.NACDonline.org| susanboliver@gmail.com | 703-216-4078