As of 1st July 2024, Rebeca Obregon assumed the role of President at Farnell, an Avnet company.
Rebeca studied electrical engineering at Arizona State University and has spent over 30 years in the semiconductor industry. During that time, she held a variety of roles ranging from engineering and operations to sales, business unit leadership and strategy.
She began her career at Motorola, followed by roles at Integrated Device Technology (now Renesas), and Amkor Technology, specialising in outsourced assembly and testing. She joined Avnet a little under two years ago, and also serves on the Board of Directors for FormFactor, a company specialising in test hardware.
“Since joining Avnet’s leadership team last year, Rebeca has shown her deep commitment to delivering results for our suppliers, customers, partners, and employees,” said Phil Gallagher, CEO, Avnet. “Farnell remains a critical part of Avnet’s overall success and value proposition, and I’m confident that Rebeca is the right leader to steer the organisation through its next chapter.”
I sat down with Rebeca to discuss her vision for the company’s future and how she plans to steer it through a rapidly evolving electronics industry.
Now that you’ve stepped into your new role as President of Farnell, what are your top priorities for the company in the next year?
My top priorities centre around several key areas. First and foremost, I want to continue fostering a strong culture of teamwork, both within Farnell and in collaboration with Avnet through our ‘Power of One’ initiative. This alignment allows us to bring the best of both organisations to our customers.
In terms of strategy, I’m focused on refining our framework and ensuring smooth execution to meet our growth objectives. Enhancing supplier relationships will also be crucial, as these partnerships drive the quality and variety of products we offer.
Logistics optimisation is another important area. We’re constantly looking for ways to streamline our operations and improve the value we deliver to customers, including our freight proposition, which plays a key role in ensuring timely, cost-effective deliveries.
What excites you most about the future of the electronics industry, and how are you positioning Farnell to be at the forefront of those changes?
What excites me most about the future of the electronics industry is the relentless pace of innovation and the rapid adoption of new technologies across all sectors.
At Farnell, we’re positioning ourselves to stay at the forefront of these changes in several ways. First, through our element14 Community, we provide a platform where engineers can collaborate, ask questions, and solve challenges together, helping to accelerate innovation. Second, our collaboration with suppliers ensures that we consistently offer the latest products and technologies our customers need to turn their ideas into reality.
Lastly, by working closely with Avnet, we’re making it easier for customers to transition seamlessly from design and prototyping to high-volume production, ensuring their innovations can scale efficiently. Our commitment to supporting customers through every stage of development keeps us excited about the future.
What are the biggest challenges you foresee for the electronics industry in the next three to five years, and how is Farnell positioning itself to tackle these?
One of the biggest challenges I foresee is the fast pace of change and its cyclical nature. While this isn’t new – it’s always been a dynamic industry – it requires us to remain agile, make quick decisions, and embrace change as part of our DNA. This is a key element of the culture I’m building within Farnell.
A significant aspect of this is the ongoing digital evolution, particularly the adoption of artificial intelligence. This presents both challenges and exciting opportunities. Since eCommerce is the core of our business, leveraging AI and other digital enhancements will allow us to expand our customer reach and provide an even more seamless, efficient experience. By staying adaptable and continuously evolving, we’re positioning Farnell to navigate these shifts and remain a trusted partner for our customers.
Farnell has a long-standing history in components distribution. How are you fostering stronger supplier relationships to ensure continuity and innovation in the procurement process?
At Farnell, we’re strengthening supplier relationships through a newly formed supplier organisation, designed to provide focused and clear alignment with the strategies of our key suppliers. This approach ensures we’re working together to drive mutual profitable growth.
Additionally, we’re enhancing global supplier alignment in collaboration with Avnet for the suppliers we have in common.
The electronics industry has faced significant supply chain disruptions in recent years. How is Farnell responding to procurement professionals’ needs for flexibility and transparency?
Farnell is closely collaborating with our suppliers on their strategies to ensure we stock the right products at the right time, addressing the dynamic demands of the market.
We also prioritise understanding what is important to our customers by engaging with our engineering community. This feedback helps us tailor our offerings and improve our services to meet specific needs.
Lastly, we leverage Avent’s extensive assets and supplier relationships to enhance our procurement capabilities.
In a highly competitive industry, how does Farnell differentiate itself from other electronics distributors?
Farnell differentiates itself through several key factors. First and foremost, our partnership with Avnet allows us to offer a unique combination of broad-line products and high-service offerings. This collaboration enables us to serve our customers throughout the entire product life cycle, providing comprehensive support from design to production.
We have regional warehouses strategically located to service our customers in EMEA, APAC, and the Americas, ensuring timely and efficient delivery.
We complement our eCommerce capabilities with dedicated field sales teams, which enhance our ability to connect with customers and provide personalised service.
Last but not least, our engineering community, element14, boasts over 850k members.
Finally, what are you most looking forward to in your new role as President?
I am looking forward to working with the incredible teams at Farnell, Newark, and element14 around the world.
I am also eager to execute our vision of the ‘Power of One’ with Avnet and Farnell. By aligning our efforts, we can deliver the best value proposition to our suppliers and customers, enhancing our offerings and ensuring we meet their evolving needs.
This article originally appeared in the November issue of Procurement Pro.