Smith Names Thuy Tran Chief Risk Officer

Houston, TX (September 18, 2023) – Smith, a leading global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces the appointment of Thuy Tran to the position of Chief Risk Officer. In this role, Thuy will oversee the company’s worldwide legal, compliance, and audit functions and help identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks to its business operations and financial strategy.

“Over the last decade, Smith has seen exponential growth in terms of sales and global footprint, and that growth has required significant investments in our checks and balances to ensure Smith’s interests are properly protected,” said Thuy. “I am excited to step into this new role and continue to help Smith move forward.”

Thuy joined Smith in 2000 as Associate General Counsel and was named to her most recent position of General Counsel in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and received her JD from South Texas College of Law.

“For more than two decades, Thuy has helped us meet every challenge or difficulty Smith has encountered, and her diligent focus on finding a solution has allowed us to maintain Smith’s safety, security, and goal of delivering the best service to our customers,” said Matt Hartzell, Chief Administrative Officer at Smith. “I look forward to her ongoing support and success as she takes on this new opportunity.”

Since 2020, Smith has quadrupled the number of attorneys on staff, adding local counselors at the company’s hubs in Hong Kong and Amsterdam to expedite its expert support to customers and suppliers in those regions. Thuy’s vast breadth of knowledge and longstanding relationships inside and outside of Smith have been integral to the development of her expanding team.

“Thuy has been a trusted advisor and mentor to many of Smith’s team members over the years, and her guidance has helped us to maintain our high standards for ethics and compliance,” said Bob Ackerley, Smith’s Co-Founder and Director. “Her keen eye for detail and commitment to responsible and ethical business practices will inform her leadership and counsel to the Legal department and Smith as a whole.”

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and automobiles. In 20 cities around the world, Smith’s legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, generating global annual sales in excess of $4.7 billion in 2022. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smith’s flexible Intelligent Distribution™ model optimizes customers’ supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smith’s testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, and Singapore cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smith’s operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the company’s global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number six among all global distributors. For more information, please visit www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000.

###

For more information, contact:
Rich Witmer
Smith, Senior Director of Marketing
+1 713.430.2141