14 March, 2023
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Benck is President and Chief Executive Officer of Benchmark, a global provider of engineering design and manufacturing services that positively impact lives by helping solve complex challenges with our customers, creating innovative products that no one imagined were possible.
Jeff assumed the role of President and CEO in March 2019 and is responsible for redefining the company’s strategic direction and leading Benchmark through a transformation that will strengthen Benchmark’s position in the industry. Since joining, he has helped refocus the company on its core strengths and guided the company through several strategic investments to help its customers navigate the most complex technology challenges with a socially responsible approach, serving them through the entire product development lifecycle as a trusted partner.
Prior to joining Benchmark, Jeff served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Lantronix a global provider of secure data access and management solutions for Internet of Things (IoT) and information technology (IT) assets. Prior to Lantronix, Jeff served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Emulex Corporation, a global supplier of advanced networking, monitoring, and management solutions from July 2013 until Emulex was acquired by Avago Technologies in May 2015. He joined Emulex in May 2008 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and was subsequently appointed to President and Chief Operating Officer in August 2010. Prior to joining Emulex, Jeff was President and Chief Operating Officer of QLogic Corporation, a supplier of storage networking solutions. Earlier, he spent 18 years at IBM Corporation where he held a variety of executive leadership roles.
Jeff holds a Master of Science degree in management of technology from University of Miami and a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also a distinguished inventor in the computer systems field and holds six U.S. patents.
EVP, Chief Financial Officer
Roop K. Lakkaraju serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Benchmark and has 30 years of financial and operational management experience. From February 2017 to January 2018, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Maana, Inc., an enterprise software company that pioneered an artificial intelligence-driven knowledge platform. From October 2013 to February 2017, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Support.com, a provider of cloud-based software and services for technology support. From July 2011 to October 2013, he was Chief Financial Officer of Quantros, Inc., a provider of enterprise SaaS-based solutions and information services that advance healthcare quality and safety performance. Prior to that he held senior executive financial and operational roles at 2Wire, Solectron Corporation, and Safeguard Scientifics. He began his career in 1993 as an auditor with Grant Thornton before joining PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Audit and Business Advisory Services.
Mr. Lakkaraju is a member of the Board of Directors of Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) since February 2022 and on the Board of Directors of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC). Mr. Lakkaraju holds a B.S. in Business Administration, Accounting, from San Jose State University and is also a Certified Public Accountant.
EVP, Chief Operating Officer
Mike Buseman serves as Benchmark’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for all worldwide manufacturing operations. Mike is an accomplished executive with broad experience in operations, quality and customer relationship management. He has an extensive background in EMS and related industries.
Mike served as Chief Global Logistics and Operations Officer of Avnet, Inc., a global electronics components company, and was Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations at Plexus Corp., having served as their Vice President of Global Technology, Quality and Facilities previously. Additionally, Mike served as Vice President and General Manager of Operations of Celestica, Inc., as well as their Director of Operations, Engineering, and Technology. Mike began his career in 1983 with Unisys, Inc., holding positions of increasing responsibility, including Principal Process Engineer and Director of Advanced Design Manufacturing Services.
Mike holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota.
SVP, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer
Steve leads Benchmark’s global legal, compliance, ethics, and intellectual property matters. He also serves as Benchmark’s corporate secretary. Steve has over 20 years’ experience in managing legal matters including litigation, contracts, labor and employment matters, trade secret and intellectual property matters, corporate controls, governance, and business processes. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.
Steve joins Benchmark from Aspect Software in Phoenix, Arizona where he held the position of Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to Aspect Software, he was with TPI Composites, Inc., a global provider of structural composites products, where he held the General Counsel position. He also served as Vice President and General Counsel of Swift Transportation Company, the nation’s largest truckload carrier. While in private practice at the international law firm Bryan Cave (now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP), Steve practiced in the areas of commercial litigation and labor and employment.
Steve holds a Juris Doctorate from Marquette University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Arizona.
SVP, Chief Revenue Officer
Rob Crawford is Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Benchmark Electronics, Inc., where he directs the company’s global go-to-market strategy, including executing vertical sector strategies, determining portfolio optimization, accelerating marketing and demand generation, and ensuring revenue realization to achieve growth objectives.
Rob has over 25 years of experience in both EMS and OEM product technology companies with a proven track record of driving strategic, high-value growth for global brands. Prior to Benchmark, he served as Vice President, Global Sales, Advanced Technology Solutions at Celestica, where he oversaw business development for their growth verticals, which included Medical, A&D, Energy, Industrial and Capital Equipment sectors. Earlier, Rob held various leadership roles at leading companies such as QLogic Corporation, Quantum Corporation and Dell Inc.
Rob holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Pepperdine University.
SVP, Chief Information Officer
Scott Hicar is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Benchmark Electronics. In this role, he has global responsibility for ensuring consistent processes, systems and infrastructure to efficiently support the execution of our business and our customers globally.
Scott has more than 25 years of technology leadership experience in transformational roles, and previously held management positions in the Supply Chain/ERP practice at Price Waterhouse, as well as serving as an internal consultant to chemical, pharmaceutical, and agriculture businesses within ICI Americas.
Scott received his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in business administration, with a concentration in management information systems, from Ohio University.
SVP, Chief Technology Officer
Jan’s extensive, customer-focused career covers more than 30 years of leading high-performance multicultural technology development teams at industry-leading computing systems companies. His ability to make decisions quickly and inspire teams to move at the speed of technology make him a valued contributor to the Benchmark executive team, where he leads technology development insights and innovations. In this role, he heads a team of highly skilled engineers responsible for ensuring Benchmark’s components keep our customers’ products at the forefront of their industries.
Prior to joining the Benchmark team in 2015, Jan served as an executive leader at both IBM and Lenovo, where he led the development and delivery of a number of key products, including IBM’s x86-based servers and PureFlex systems. During his tenure at IBM, he established the IBM Taiwan Systems and Technology Lab, growing the group to 300 engineers while leading 650 engineers across four U.S. locations as well as others in Taiwan and China. He also led the IT team for the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy, and led the development, production and program management of IBM’s significant acquisition of Texas Memory Systems.
Jan earned both his Bachelor and Master of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer
Rhonda Turner is Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Benchmark Electronics, Inc., where she leads all aspects of human resources, including talent acquisition and development, business partnerships, organizational design and effectiveness, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, and human resources business operating systems.
Turner has more than 20 years of HR leadership experience and a proven track record of driving business outcomes by leveraging talent management, employee engagement and culture. Her career experience spans the education, energy, retail and restaurant industries, including positions at companies such as Universal Technical Institute, ConocoPhillips, Circle K and Main Street Restaurant Group, a TGI Friday’s franchisee.
Turner holds a Bachelor of Science in management from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She is a licensed analyst in Predictive Index and holds her Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) from World at Work as well as multiple certifications in Korn Ferry’s Leadership Architect and Interview Architect systems.
