Syrus Madavi Joins Avanex Board

FREMONT, Calif. -- Avanex Corporation (Nasdaq: AVNX), pioneer of intelligent optical solutions that enable next-generation optical networks, announced today that Syrus P. Madavi has joined its Board of Directors.

Madavi has more than 20 years' experience in senior executive positions with a number of multinational businesses, most recently JDS Uniphase. He joined JDS Uniphase in July 2002 as president and chief operating officer and became a member of the Board of Directors in November 2002. Madavi was responsible for operational restructuring and strategic refocusing of the global businesses of JDS Uniphase. Madavi resigned as an officer and director of JDS Uniphase in October 2003.

"We are pleased and fortunate to be able to add Syrus Madavi to the Avanex Board of Directors," Avanex Chairman, CEO and President Walter Alessandrini said. "During his distinguished career he has demonstrated his operational, strategic and leadership skills as a senior executive, and his wealth of experience will make him a valuable addition to the Avanex Board."

Before his tenure at JDS Uniphase, Madavi served as senior vice president of Texas Instruments, Inc. and as president, chief executive officer and chairman of Burr-Brown Corporation. In addition, he was president of Raytheon Semiconductor and vice president and general manager of Honeywell Signal Processing Technologies.

Madavi earned a B.S.E.E. and an M.S. in computer science from Stevens Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. in finance from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Madavi joins a board consisting of Alessandrini; Todd Brooks, a general partner with the Mayfield Fund; Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, senior vice president of technology strategy for MCI; Joel Smith, past president of Bank of America East and dean of the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina; and Susan Wang, former executive vice president of Solectron Corporation.

Avanex Corp.