Gaming enthusiast takes charge of AMD's channel

Former Nvidia vice president picked to take chip vendor's global channel to 'next level'

AMD has handed its global channel reins to former Nvidia boss and self-proclaimed gaming junkie Roy Taylor.

In his role as head of global channel sales, Taylor will be responsible for managing and growing the chip underdog's channel business globally.

AMD endured a miserable 2012 as it was caught cold by the decline of the traditional PC market and lost market share to arch rival Intel. In November, the New York-listed firm – whose share price plunged from $8.20 (£5.10) in April to $2.40 by the end of the year – announced plans to cut 15 per cent of its 11,700 workforce.

AMD admitted its partners endured some supply issues last year but claimed that Taylor is the right man to take its channel "to the next level".

Taylor will report to chief sales officer John Byrne, who said: "Roy's enthusiasm and passion for technology evangelisation will help strengthen our channel business as we bring new low-power APUs and discrete GPUs to market in 2013 that provide outstanding value, unmatched graphics capabilities and immersive user experiences."

Joining AMD from Finnish start-up Rightware, Taylor has served stints at both start-ups and industry giants including Nvidia, where he spent a decade in roles including vice president of BPU sales and vice president of EMEA sales.

AMD described Taylor, who studied in the UK and started his career in the component distribution business, as an "avid gamer and IT enthusiast".