Steven R. Altman is vice chairman of Qualcomm Incorporated and a member of Qualcomm’s executive committee. Altman provides direction and guidance on key initiatives across all areas of the business, as well as on overall vision and strategy.
Altman joined Qualcomm in 1989 and was the chief architect of the Company’s strategy for licensing its broad intellectual property portfolio for wireless communications, which has accelerated the growth of CDMA technology. In that role, he was responsible for structuring and negotiating Qualcomm’s license agreements, joint ventures and strategic relationships. Under Altman’s leadership, the Company has entered into domestic and international licensing agreements with the world's largest telecommunications and electronics companies.
Altman began his career with the San Diego law firm of Gray, Cary, Ames & Frye (which later become DLA Piper), where he specialized in intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, securities, and general corporate matters. He joined Qualcomm in 1989 as corporate counsel with responsibility for licensing and contracts, quickly moving up through the management ranks and becoming vice president and general counsel in 1992. He became general manager of QTL when that organization was formed in 1995; and senior vice president in 1996. In 1998, Altman was named executive vice president; and president of QTL in 2000. From 2005 to 2011, Altman served as the president of Qualcomm where his leadership and contributions helped enable the Company’s successful growth, evolution and expansion.
Altman graduated from Northern Arizona University in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in police science and administration; he received his Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1986. Altman serves as chairman of the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Health Sciences Advisory Board. He also serves on the board of directors for CONNECT, a San Diego non-profit organization that propells the creation of innovative technologies by linking entrepreneurs and inventors. As a former board member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), he remains an active supporter of the JDRF and numerous other charitable causes.
