WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 23, 2026--
Qnity Electronics, Inc. (“Qnity”) (NYSE: Q), a premier technology solutions leader across the semiconductor value chain, today announced that it has appointed Katherine (Kate) Dei Cas as President of its Semiconductor Technologies business segment, effective August 3. Sam Ponzo, who has been serving as the segment’s Interim President, will return to his role as Qnity’s Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer at that time.
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“Kate brings significant experience driving operational excellence and strategic initiatives within the semiconductor industry,” said Jon Kemp, Qnity’s Chief Executive Officer. “Her proven ability to foster high-performing teams, manage global supply chains, and drive growth make her the ideal leader for our Semi business. We are thrilled to welcome her to Qnity and look forward to working together to deliver value for our customers and shareholders.”
Kate has more than 25 years of semiconductor industry experience. She joins Qnity from EMD Electronics, a division of Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, where she most recently served as Executive Vice President and as a member of the Executive Team.
“Qnity has built an exceptional portfolio at a truly pivotal moment for our industry. AI is fundamentally reshaping how the world’s most advanced chips are designed and manufactured, and I am thrilled to partner with Jon and this team as we drive the transformation ahead,” said Kate Dei Cas. “Throughout my career I have been driven by building relationships — with customers, partners, and the teams I am a part of — and I look forward to bringing that same commitment to Qnity as we work together to power what’s next.”
About Qnity
Qnity is a premier technology provider across the semiconductor value chain, empowering AI, high performance computing, and advanced connectivity. From groundbreaking solutions for semiconductor chip manufacturing, to enabling high-speed transmission within complex electronic systems, our high-performance materials and integration expertise make tomorrow’s technologies possible. More information about the company, its businesses and solutions can be found at www.qnityelectronics.com.
Qnity™, the Qnity Node Logo, and all products, unless otherwise noted, denoted with TM or ® are trademarks, trade names or registered trademarks of affiliates of Qnity Electronics, Inc.
Kate Dei Cas, President of Qnity's Semiconductor Technologies business segment, effective August 3, 2026.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A United Nations committee voted Friday to inscribe a major archaeological site in the West Bank and a set of castles in southern Lebanon as World Heritage sites, despite objections from Israel, which had urged the committee to reject the bids.
The decision at a U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization meeting in South Korea came days after Israel’s Foreign Ministry urged the committee to reject efforts to designate the small West Bank town of Sebastia and the Lebanese castles, calling the nominations a “weaponization of cultural heritage.”
At their meeting in Busan, members of the UNESCO committee decided to place Sebastia and five castles in Lebanon’s Mount Amel area on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger after reviewing the nominations on an emergency basis, citing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
Sebastia, a hilltop town about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is identified by scholars as ancient Samaria, capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The area’s archaeological remains span the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods. Christian and Islamic tradition holds that John the Baptist was buried there, according to a UNESCO website.
Sebastia’s nomination, first submitted by the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO in 2012, argued that World Heritage status was needed to help preserve the site, saying it remains largely undeveloped under Israeli control and requires additional conservation despite attracting tourists.
The designation comes as Israel, which does not recognize a Palestinian state, moves to expropriate large swaths of land around the site, even as it faces pressure to crack down on violence by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territory.
The five castles in the Mount Amel region are recognized for their layered architectural heritage, combining Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and local influences, reflecting the evolution of fortified architecture over nearly nine centuries, according to a UNESCO description.
Adel Naim Daoud Atieh, a member of the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO, said the World Heritage designation rewards the perseverance of Sebastia’s residents, “who have protected this extraordinary site through generations, despite occupation, restrictions, and repeated attempts to separate them from their own heritage.”
Israel withdrew from UNESCO in 2019, accusing the organization of being biased against it and of downplaying its historical ties to the Holy Land. A member of the Israeli delegation, who are attending the Busan meetings as observers, said it was a “shame politicization has ruined UNESCO and led to mockery of history.”
In Tuesday’s statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused the Palestinian delegation of waging a “hostile, one-sided campaign” at UNESCO by falsely portraying Sebastia as an area facing an emergency, calling the effort a political attempt to “erase the site’s profound, well-documented Jewish and Christian history.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry also took objection to efforts to list Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon as a World Heritage site. The castle was part of the nomination covering five castles in the Mount Amel area.
The ministry said Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has turned Beaufort Castle into a military stronghold by building tunnels beneath the site and launching rockets from the area, and accused UNESCO of ignoring those developments.
UNESCO and the Lebanese embassy in South Korea declined to comment on the Israeli claims about Hezbollah. At Friday’s meeting, a Lebanese delegate said the castles have been used “only for cultural and tourism purposes” since Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 and accused Israeli media of circulating images of tourist facilities as military tunnels.
The UNESCO committee on Wednesday placed another Lebanese site, Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city in the southern part of the country, on the list of world heritage sites in danger.
FILE - Smoke rises to the sky in an area near Beaufort Castle following an Israeli military strike in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
FILE - A Palestinian visitor takes a photo at the Roman historical site in the West Bank town of Sebastia Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, File)
