Katy Wells, J.D. - VP of Licensing, HR & General Counsel
Katy Wells helps shape legal, licensing, and HR strategy and oversees administrative operations and compliance for Motivo. With over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, she applies a discerning understanding of the semiconductor ecosystem and markets. She has been a member of a Fortune 500 executive management team, an advisor to multiple technology CEOs and boards of directors, and a founding board member of a global semiconductor manufacturing company.
Prior to Motivo, Katy spent 13.5 years at global semiconductor leader Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD), last serving as its Corp. VP for Operations & Alliances on the CEO’s team and earlier as Deputy General Counsel and board-appointed Corp. Secretary. She led the legal team responsible for AMD’s 700M Euro financing and 545M Euro subsidy package for construction of a 2.4B Euro 300mm manufacturing facility; helped drive AMD’s successful integration of ATI’s $5.6B graphic’s business; was on the team that oversaw the initial stages of the historic AMD v Intel anti-trust litigation; was instrumental in AMD’s $10B divestiture of its manufacturing assets and creation of semiconductor manufacturer GLOBALFOUNDRIES, serving on GF’s founding board; and was a member of the AMD China leadership team during a period of growth. Before AMD, Katy was in private practice at global law firms WilmerHale and Baker Botts and served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable José A. Cabranes in the U.S. District of Connecticut.
Katy has built, developed, and led global legal teams supporting technology development and transfer, manufacturing, sales, marketing/PR, supply management, and EHS and has worked extensively in the regions of China, Germany, India, Italy, and the UAE. Her roles also allowed her to collaborate across the industry through the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and other trade and standards organizations, including as co-project manager with Intel’s Medical Director for the initial stages of an exhaustive 5-yr SIA worker health study by Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt Universities.
In addition to her technology leadership roles, Katy provides business and career development consulting to law firm and in-house attorneys; helped found the Austin Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel; served on the board of an award-winning college-prep academy; and has served initiatives at Yale University, Yale Law School, Lamar University, and Bowdoin College.
Katy received her B.S. Summa Cum Laude from Lamar University and her J.D. from Yale Law School.