OC 50: TECHNOLOGY

Orange County Business Journal, Apr 28-May 4, 2008

Described as straightforward, logical.

Member, Society of Women Engineers.

Goes by "Nan." Has 13-year-old son. Husband teaches at Occidental College.

Graduated from Rice University in Texas with bachelor's in chemical engineering.

Toyama, boss of Southern California facilities, employees. Reports to Cooning.

Oversees 30,000 workers in Southern California, including 10,000 in county. In charge of government relations, site administration, facilities, efficiency, community outreach.

Came into role in 2005.

Described as affable, friendly, unselfish.

Executive sponsor for several diversity groups at Boeing (Seal Beach Boeing Hispanic Employees Network, Asian American Professionals Association, Amelia Earhart Society, Mesa Boeing Black Employees Association).

On boards of California Chamber of Commerce, Performing Artscenter, Orange County Workforce Investment Board.

Lifetime bowler, 27 perfect games. By age 13, had average score of 170. Earned credentials to go pro at 18.

Car buff. Displays personal collection at local car shows benefiting charities.

Married 29 years to wife Sandy. Two grown daughters.

Earned bachelor's in electrical engineering, business master's from UC Irvine.

-Dan Beighley

JOHN F. COYNE

Chief executive, president

Western Digital Corp.

Born in Dublin, Ireland, age 57

Lives in Laguno Beach

Enjoying nice run in first full year at helm of disk drive maker.

Became chief executive last year after Arif Shakeel, who spent year on job after following longtime leader Matt Massengill. Predecessors remain as directors.

Stock up about 60% in past year amid steady drive prices, demand, supply. Posted most profits of any local pubic company last year at $700 million.

Steady going of past year could be fading with reports of price cuts by Western Digital, Hitachi to gain market share.

Overseeing big shift-more sales growth coming from laptop PCs, external storage devices for businesses, consumers.

Company more than doubled share of drives for laptop computers in past year. Analysts call feat "tremendous." For first time, more than half of $6.7 billion in yearly sales comes from drives for notebook PCs, business storage, consumer electronics, branded drives sold at stores.

Drove Western Digital's $1 billion 2007 buy of San Jose-based Komag, company's biggest deal yet.

Company now makes almost an entire drive on its own. Buy stepped up competition with market leader Seagate.

Worked on integration of 2003 buy of disk parts maker Read-Rite.

Moving some production from one Malaysian plant to two others in country, cutting about 770 jobs.

Worldly Irishman. Western Digital vet. Joined in 1983 to start company's circuit board operations in Ireland. Went on to oversee manufacturing in Irvine, board production worldwide.

Left to join circuit board maker SCI Systems, later tapped to run European operations of one-time Anaheim circuit board maker Data-Design Laboratories in early 1990s. Oversaw Data-Design plant in Northern Ireland.

Rejoined Western Digital in 1996, overseeing Malaysia operations. Handled consolidation of drive production there, closed 2,000-person Singapore plant in bid to save profits amid falling prices. In early 2000s, led expansion into Thailand, where bulk of production now is done.