Akash Palkhiwala
Summary
Akash Palkhiwala has served as QUALCOMM’s Chief Financial Officer since November 2019 and added the Chief Operating Officer role in January 2024 after more than two decades in the company’s finance organization.
Biography
Palkhiwala joined Qualcomm in 2001 and has held finance and leadership positions including Treasurer, corporate financial planning and analysis, corporate development, and finance lead for Qualcomm’s semiconductor business. He became Chief Financial Officer in 2019, succeeding George Davis. In January 2024, Qualcomm expanded his responsibilities to include global go-to-market operations, information technology and other operating functions as COO. Palkhiwala has played a central role in financial planning, forecasting, capital allocation and operating management as Qualcomm has pursued growth outside smartphones. He holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from L.D. College of Engineering in India and an MBA from the University of Maryland. Publicly reported information does not indicate a major personal controversy involving him.
Notable achievements
- Built a long-term career across Qualcomm’s treasury, planning, corporate-development and semiconductor-finance functions.
- Helped manage the company’s financial response to the 2023 handset downturn and related cost controls.
- Expanded his remit from finance to company-wide operations in 2024 as Qualcomm pursued diversification.
- During fiscal 2025, Qualcomm reported QCT revenue growth in handsets, automotive and IoT, with total QCT revenue rising 16% year over year.
- Helped oversee a shareholder-return program that included a higher dividend and a new $20 billion repurchase authorization announced in 2026.
Problem areas / controversies
- Qualcomm’s financial results remain exposed to smartphone demand, customer concentration and the expected reduction of Apple modem business.
- Palkhiwala has had to communicate through periods of weak handset demand, China-related inventory fluctuations and broader semiconductor-cycle volatility.
- No major personal regulatory or conduct controversy involving Palkhiwala is widely documented; the principal concerns associated with his role are operational and financial risks facing Qualcomm.