COPENHAGEN -- Alight Technologies A/S today announced that the company has employed Dirk Jessen as new VP Business Development. The appointment follows the successful closing of a second round of financing totaling Euro 2.1 million (DKK 15.9 million) in August 2004.

Dirk comes from a position as VP Sales & Marketing at Danish supplier of diffraction gratings and modules to the telecommunications, sensing and semiconductor industries, Ibsen Photonics. Prior to this Dirk has held sales, marketing and product management positions at ADC Telecommunications, Ibsen Micro Structures, Leica and Philips.

John Erland Østergaard, CEO, states "Alight is now ready for commercialization of its high-power single-mode VCSEL technology and we are pleased to have Dirk join the Alight team because he has a proven track record in creating long lasting customer and partner relationships and because he brings valuable experience to the team from managing high growth companies within the fiber optics industry.”

Alight is enabling cost efficient transmitters for the emerging telecom access markets and high bit-rate datacom markets based on its proprietary Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser VCSEL technology. Dirk who joins Alight in time for the upcoming ECOC exhibition in Stockholm (booth # 233) states: "I’m pleased to join a world class technical team. After Alight has demonstrated high single mode VCSEL power and high modulation bandwidth in the last months I look forward to working with our partners to launch products on the market that can decrease the costs of bringing fiber closer to the homes.”

Alight Technologies A/S