First Solar has appointed Mark Widmar as its new chief financial officer. Widmar replaces interim CFO James Zhu and will be responsible for all the company’s global financial operations; Zhu will return to his role as chief accounting officer.<br /><br />Widmar joins First Solar from carbon and graphite manufacturer Graftech International, where he had been CFO and president of its engineering solutions division since 2006. Prior to his tenure at Graftech, he worked for NCR, Dell, and Lucent Technologies. Widmar has a BSc in business accounting and an MBA in finance from Indiana University and is also a certified public accountant.<br /><br />“Mark brings nearly 25 years of experience in finance, accounting and controlling to First Solar,” said company CEO Rob Gillette. “We are confident that Mark’s expertise and his track record of delivering results make him the right leader for our finance organisation.”