Cognex Corporation Appoints New Board Members

By Chris Stiles • Tuesday, February 17 13:51 • Permanent Link

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX) has made significant changes to its board of directors, as announced on February 17, 2026. Dr. Sami Atiya and Mr. Chris Donato have been appointed to the board, effective March 2, 2026. Cognex's President and CEO, Matt Moschner, expressed excitement about the new appointments, emphasizing the strategic focus on becoming the leading provider of AI technology for industrial machine vision and doubling the customer base over the next five years.

In conjunction with the new appointments, Robert Willett, former CEO of Cognex, and Dr. Dianne Parrotte will be retiring from the board, effective March 2, 2026. The Chairman of Cognex's board of directors, Anthony Sun, expressed gratitude for the expertise and contributions of the retiring members while welcoming Dr. Atiya and Mr. Donato as valuable additions to the board. These changes reflect the board's commitment to ensuring it has the right skills and experiences to lead Cognex into its next phase of growth.

Dr. Sami Atiya, 62, brings with him 30 years of executive leadership experience in automation, robotics, AI, and medical technology. His previous roles include serving in leadership positions at ABB Ltd. and Siemens AG, as well as currently being on the board of directors of SGS SA.

Mr. Chris Donato, 60, has served as President and Chief Revenue Officer of Zendesk, Inc. since May 2024 and was previously President of Global Sales and Field Engineering at Celonis SE. With 25 years of experience at Oracle Corporation, including as EVP of Applications and Consulting, North America, Mr. Donato's expertise aligns with Cognex's focus on driving enterprise sales and profitable growth.

These board changes come after an extensive search and signify the board's commitment to bringing in industry and market expertise, as well as modern sales tools to complement the company's strategic objectives.

The appointments of Dr. Atiya and Mr. Donato mark the addition of six independent directors to the board since 2021, reflecting the board's dedication to positioning Cognex for its next phase of growth. Today the company's shares have moved 0.81% to a price of $40.92. Check out the company's full 8-K submission here.

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