Aura Communications Names COO; Chip Marshall to Manage Operations, Finance

Business Wire, Feb 21, 2001

Business/Technology Editors

WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2001

Charles (Chip) M. Marshall has been named chief operating officer (COO) at Aura Communications, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company providing system-on-chip (SOC) solutions for wireless voice, data and audio communication within the personal-area network.

Marshall has responsibility for the management of company operations, including manufacturing, facilities, human resources and financial management. He reports to Vincent Palermo, president and chief executive officer (CEO), and a founder of Aura(TM).

"Chip has a proven track record in building the infrastructure needed to support a rapidly growing semiconductor business," notes Palermo. "He will be a key asset in building and maintaining our leadership position in high-growth wireless markets."

Previously, he was director of MicroIR Products at Lockheed Martin's IR Imaging Systems. Marshall led an intra-company entrepreneurial startup that transitioned Lockheed from its traditional defense business to an industry leader in the emerging commercial night-vision imaging sector.

Marshall received a Bachelor of Arts degree Summa Cum Laude in physics from Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Rice University in Houston, Tex. He also earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Northeastern University's High Technology MBA Program.

About Aura Communications

Aura Communications, Inc., is a fabless semiconductor company that has developed an enabling technology for low-cost, low-power, personal-area networks. Aura's programmable SOC solutions create the backbone infrastructure for wireless voice, audio and data communications. Its first product -- known as VoiceLink(TM)-- enabled the first commercially available wireless headset for cellular telephones and is well suited for wireless applications that need high-quality, full-duplex voice transmission at low-power consumption and cost. Founded in 1995, Aura Communications is privately held and funded by angel investors and Motorola Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT). Corporate headquarters is located at 187 Ballardvale Street, Wilmington, Mass. 01887. Telephone: (978) 988-0088. Facsimile: (978) 988-3977. Email: info@auracomm.com. Online information is found at its web site: http://www.auracomm.com.

Aura, VoiceLink, LibertyLink, and FreedomLink are trademarks of Aura Communications Inc. All other companies and products referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Note to local editors:

Chip Marshall resides in North Andover, Mass., with his wife Betsy (formerly Sanborn) and children Joanna (16), Abby (13) and Eliza (9).