Intel president Renee James is stepping down

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Renée James, Intel's president and the company's No. 2 executive, is stepping down, the company announced Thursday morning.

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James has been president of Intel since May 2013, and she'll stay on until January 2016. She is leaving the company to pursue an external CEO role.

"When Brian and I were appointed to our current roles, I knew then that being the leader of a company was something that I desired as part of my own leadership journey. Now is the right time for me to take that next step," James said in a letter to Intel employees.

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James is known for her audacious goal to hit "full representation" of women and minorities at Intel by 2020 and have its workforce mimic actual demographics, which would mean a male-female ratio closer to 50-50. Intel has always rated high as a place for women in tech, but James set out to it further, and Intel is investing $300 million to reach its goal.

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