EFFECT Photonics continues to reshape its leadership team. The optical transmission technology developer has named Dr. Ted Schmidt as senior vice president of product development, Tony Englese as vice president of operations, and Veronique Gremmen-de Groot as global head of human resources.
Schmidt will lead EFFECT Photonics’ product development from concept to production. He joins the company from Lumentum, where he was most recently senior director, silicon photonics. His more than 20 years of experience in optical transceiver and related development includes positions at Juniper Networks, OpNext, and Stratalight Communications as well. Schmidt holds a PhD in physics and has authored 45 U.S. patents.
Englese will oversee the company’s new operational structure, including management of its supply chain and working with EFFECT Photonics’ microelectronics ecosystem industry partners. He most recently served in an operations role at OpenLight, the silicon photonics joint venture between Synopsys and Juniper Networks. His career also has taken him to such companies as Aurrion and Xsigo Systems (acquired by Oracle).
Gremmen-de Groot has a background in human resources and organizational development within various industries. She has worked for global companies such as KPN, Office Depot, TenneT, and Conclusion.
The new hires come not quite a year after Roberto Marcoccia stepped into the CEO role at EFFECT Photonics last July (see “James Regan steps down as EFFECT Photonics CEO”). Co-founder, President, and Director Boudewijn Doctor stepped away from the company this past January as well. Meanwhile, the company added $40 million in funding from a group of investors led by Invest-NL and Innovation Industries, along with other existing investors, this past March.
“EFFECT Photonics is at a pivotal stage of growth,” commented Marcoccia. “To capitalize on our unique market opportunity and to achieve our goal of leveraging our integrated optical technologies to deliver solutions that disrupt the status quo, it was time to expand our leadership team to achieve this mission. We are thrilled and excited to have these new leaders on board and the experience they bring in order to help us chart the course for the opportunity ahead.”
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