Career Path of a Vice President of Global Workplace and Infrastructure at Applied Materials
Mike's career journey began with a self-started venture in interactive television post-graduation from USC, followed by experience in a family manufacturing business. This led to a successful transition into the tech industry, with key roles at Intel, where "getting exposed and living overseas proved to be a very important career step," and then Microsoft and Nvidia, culminating in Mike's current position as Vice President, Global Workplace and Infrastructure at Applied Materials.
International Experience, Real Estate and Construction Management, Technology Industry, Career Pivoting, Global Workplace Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mike DeMuro
Vice President, Global Workplace and Infrastructure
Applied Materials
University of Southern California
MBA, Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey
Economics, Finance
Real Estate, Technology
Strategic Management and Executive
Video Highlights
1. Mike's entrepreneurial journey, starting with a business plan in college and leading to several successful ventures.
2. His diverse experience in various industries, showcasing adaptability and a willingness to learn new skills.
3. The international aspect of his career, highlighting valuable experience gained from working and living in different countries such as China and France.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
I studied finance at the University of Southern California. That's where I spent my time before starting my work career.
In my senior year of undergrad, my roommate and I started putting together a business plan for a company we ended up launching after graduation. It was a small company that researched and published reports on interactive television, which was before the internet.
This work involved technology development and video on demand. We ended up selling the company after a few years. I worked there for about five years.
Then, I made a change into a family business. My dad owned a small manufacturing company in Phoenix, and I worked there for about three years. This was until I got my MBA at ASU.
While I was working and during my MBA, I learned about opportunities in the tech industry. Many people I worked with or went to school with had exciting things going on. In the year 2000, the internet was taking off, and it sounded like an exciting place to be.
So, I decided I might not be in the right industry. I made a change and got a job at Intel in their construction department. They were building a lot of new factories, which was new to me as I didn't know anything about construction, but Intel was willing to teach.
I spent 10 years at Intel during an exciting period when they were building many factories worldwide. I had the chance to travel a lot. I lived in Shanghai for four years while they were expanding in Asia.
This experience of being exposed to and living overseas proved to be a very important career step. It's valuable experience for many companies. After I moved back to the US, this was in high demand.
Microsoft knew I had spent time in Asia running real estate and construction, so they needed someone to do that and moved me. I joined Microsoft and moved back to China. I lived in Beijing for three years and ran their real estate and construction group.
I then spent time in France with them and eventually returned to Seattle. I spent eight years with Microsoft. After that, a company called Nvidia hired me to run their real estate and facilities group based in Silicon Valley.
I moved to Silicon Valley, which is an exciting place for technology. I spent five great years at Nvidia running that organization. Right next door to Nvidia is Applied Materials, where I am today.
I was brought on to run their global workplace and infrastructure team. This includes all their factories, offices, and research and development laboratories around the world.