Nikhil Balram

Dr. Nikhil Balram is President & CEO of Ricoh Innovations, Inc. With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Balram is widely hailed throughout the industry and academia as an expert and innovator in video and display technologies across multiple platforms. He also has significant experience in marketing, development of international business, and engineering management, with a particular strength in building and leading consumer IC businesses from concept to widespread market success.

Dr. Balram has held executive positions at several technology companies, most recently as vice president and general manager of the digital business entertainment unit at Marvell Semiconductor, and chief technology officer of the displays group at National Semiconductor Corporation. Previously, Dr. Balram served as executive vice president and general manager of the consumer products group at Sage, and as vice president of advanced technology at Faroudja Inc. Faroudja was acquired by Sage in 2000, which was in turn bought by Genesis in 2002.

In the year prior to joining RII, Dr. Balram served as an advisor and consultant to UTV (India’s first integrated global media & entertainment company), IMAX (one of the world’s leading entertainment technology companies), and Vestel (one of Europe’s top TV ODMs), as well as several startups.

A respected figure in the academic field, Dr. Balram is a visiting professor of vision science at the University of California, Berkeley, a guest professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Gandhinagar, India, and sits on the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) at the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University. He has more than 30 technical publications, and over 60 U.S. and foreign patents granted or pending.

Dr. Balram received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, where he has also served on the Dean’s Leadership Council, Silicon Valley Advisory Council, and Admissions Council. He sits on the board of directors for the Foundation for Excellence, a non-profit that provides scholarships for underprivileged children.


Photos of Nikhil Balram, President (high resolution 300 dpi): formal, informal