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Permira appoints Arm’s Simon Segars as senior adviser for tech

Simon Segars was CEO of British semiconductor and software design company, Arm, from 2013 to 2022.

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  • Segars spent more than 30 years at Arm
  • He is chair of the board of directors of the Global Semiconductor Alliance and a member of several international industry associations

Permira has appointed Simon Segars as senior adviser to its technology team in its London office. Segars was formerly CEO at UK semiconductor and software design company Arm from 2013 to 2022. He became one of Arm’s first employees in 1991 and in 2016 led Arm through its take-private acquisition by SoftBank.

Permira is a global private equity firm with over $60 billion in assets under management. It has more than 16 offices across the globe with over 450 employees. It was founded in 1985 as Schroder Ventures and became Permira in 2001.

Segars is an active member of multiple international industry associations, including as chair of the board of directors of the Global Semiconductor Alliance. He serves also on the board of directors of Dolby Laboratories, Edge Impulse, and Vodafone Group. He previously served on the boards of directors of SoftBank, and Arm.

Permira will task Segars with utilising his expertise, experience of the technology industry, and industry contacts to support Permira’s investment activity and value creation in the portfolio. He will also serve as an adviser to the management teams of technology companies within Permira’s portfolio.

“We’ve been incredibly impressed by Simon’s achievements throughout his career,” said Richard Sanders, partner, and co-head of technology at Permira. “The growth he led at Arm was nothing short of remarkable. We’re delighted to have him join us and look forward to benefiting from his global perspective.”

“The technology industry is changing more rapidly than ever before, and unearthing opportunities to invest in the companies that will shape the landscape of the future has never been more challenging, or more exciting,” said Segars. “I look forward to joining the firm to advise on potential investments and provide guidance to existing portfolio company management teams.”