AuthenTec (NASDAQ:AUTH), the world's leading provider of smart fingerprint sensors and solutions, announced today that it has appointed industry veteran and executive Masatoshi Morishita as Vice President of AuthenTec, as well as President and Representative Director of AuthenTec KK, AuthenTec’s wholly owned subsidiary in Japan. Mr. Morishita previously held similar positions with AMD as a Corporate Vice President, as well as President and Representative Director of AMD Japan. Prior to leading AMD’s efforts in Japan, he held the position of President and Representative Director of ATI Technologies in Japan. In his new position, he will oversee all aspects of AuthenTec Japan, including business development, sales, marketing and applications support. Mr. Morishita succeeds Kengo Kobayashi, who is retiring from AuthenTec and assuming the position as non-executive Chairman of AuthenTec KK.

“Masatoshi Morishita is a distinguished addition to our team and we believe he will provide tremendous leadership as we continue to expand our business in Japan,” said Scott Moody, AuthenTec Chairman and CEO. “Japan has always been a key market for AuthenTec, particularly given its historical leadership as an early adopter of new and innovative technologies. We look forward to further expanding our overall business in both cell phones and PCs in Japan. Morishita san has the industry experience, customer relationships and leadership qualities that will help us to continue to lead the market.”

“I joined AuthenTec as I believe it has tremendous growth potential, particularly in Japan where innovation, quality and the ability to deliver in very high volumes to support customer demands are key requirements,” said Morishita. “AuthenTec has a solid track record, not only with Japanese-based companies but with the world’s leading consumer electronics brands. I’m proud and excited to lead AuthenTec’s further expansion as it evolves from a components supplier to a solutions-oriented provider of smart fingerprint sensors and solutions.”

Prior to joining ATI Technologies, Mr. Morishita was with Mentor Graphics where he led a large staff of sales and application engineers serving electronics OEMs. He started his career with Oki Electric Semiconductor Group where he held a number of management positions with increasing responsibility in both the U.S. and Japan. Mr. Morishita graduated from the prestigious Waseda University in Tokyo.

Japan is a key region for growth of AuthenTec’s smart sensor products in notebook PCs, netbooks and smartphones. AuthenTec has the broadest portfolio of silicon fingerprint sensors on the market today, and is expanding its offering to include new smart sensors and client applications that increase touch-based functionality while simplifying the sensor user experience.

About AuthenTec

AuthenTec brings multiple touch-powered features including navigation, personalization, convenience and security to nearly 50 million PCs and peripherals, cell phones and other products. The Company’s newest generation of smart sensors, software and TrueSuite™ client applications give users secure one-touch access to their favorite websites, online social networks and digital identity. AuthenTec has the broadest product and patent portfolio in the industry today, and helps enable the Power of Touch^® for millions of people at home, at work or on the move. For more information, visit www.authentec.com or follow us at twitter.com/authentecnews.