Don Cantow has been appointed General Manager of Altium, with effect from January 1, 2026.
In his capacity as General Manager, Mr. Cantow will play a key role in accelerating Altium’s uptake as an industry platform while safeguarding its accessibility and openness throughout the global electronics ecosystem, which includes semiconductor manufacturers as well as the broader EDA and ECAD community.
Renesas Electronics Corporation has been pursuing a bold strategy to accelerate the digitalization of the electronics industry since acquiring Altium in 2024. In order to facilitate the development of software-defined products, Altium has evolved into a platform-first company by adding electronics system design and lifecycle management features to its cloud-based collaboration platform, Altium 365, and its electronic design software, Altium Designer.
Altium will continue operating under its current legal entity and is still a fully owned subsidiary of Renesas. Mr. Cantow will report to Renesas Software & Digitalization Product Group General Manager and Senior Vice President Aram Mirkazemi.
Mr. Cantow brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in the electronics industry. He spent over two decades at Mentor Graphics, where he held senior roles during the company’s growth into a global, enterprise-scale leader, leading worldwide enterprise engagements and strategic customer relationships.
He also held key strategic sales and marketing roles at Texas Instruments, gaining direct experience within the semiconductor industry. Over the past eight years at Altium, he has played a central role in building the company’s enterprise business and strategic partnerships.
Leadership Comments
“Altium has a long-held vision of becoming an industry platform that connects the entire electronics ecosystem—large and small—around a common digital backbone,” said Aram Mirkazemi, Senior Vice President, Software & Digitalization at Renesas. “Don is uniquely prepared to advance that vision. His breadth of industry experience and his strength in strategic partnership are exactly what is required to drive broad industry adoption and take Altium into its next phase.”
“I am honored to take on this role as General Manager of Altium at such a pivotal moment for Altium and the Electronic Industry,” said Mr. Cantow. “The convergence of electronic design, cloud platforms, and semiconductor innovation creates a unique opportunity to redefine how the industry designs and delivers products. It also provides a unique opportunity to modernize how the industry engages – and to accelerate engagement to match the pace of innovation. I look forward to working with our customers and partners to realize that vision.”
Don Cantow holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Connecticut and has completed executive education programs at MIT Sloan School of Management and Columbia Business School.
