Sam Heidari, Ph.D.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Quantenna Communications
Dr. Sam Heidari is a connectivity and communication technologist seeking perfect solutions that enhance our everyday lives.
Dr. Heidari joined Quantenna in 2009 as vice president of R&D; and led the innovation effort in latest Wi-Fi technology. He was appointed CEO in 2011, and under his leadership, the company has been raising the bar on user’s experience by delivering the most advanced Wi-Fi hardware and software solutions and enabling applications previously not possible. Prior to Quantenna, he was CTO and vice president of Engineering at Ikanos Communications (Nasdaq: IKAN). Dr. Heidari was one of the original team members of Ikanos, and then rejoined Ikanos Communications in 2006 via acquisition of Doradus Technologies, where he served as president and CEO. Under his management, Doradus Technologies grew from creation to profitability within 18 months. In his career, Dr. Heidari has held many senior management and technical positions in the different areas of wireless and wireline communications and networking at Sony Electronics, Linkabit Wireless and Torrey Communications.
Dr. Heidari is chairman of the board of directors for SiTune Corporation. He also serves on the Global Semiconductor Alliance Board of Directors, and on the advisory board for the Department of Electrical Engineering at University of Southern California. He is a senior member of IEEE and holds more than 40 US and international patents. He has authored many refereed journals and conference papers as well as provided significant contributions in standard organizations such as IEEE and ITU-T covering wireline and mobile technologies.
Dr. Heidari earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from University of Southern California, and a B.S. degree from Northeastern University, all in Electrical Engineering. He was named a winner of the 2014 CEO/Executive of the Year by the Golden Bridge Awards.