Tellabs Appoints New CEO

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The Tellabs board of directors today appointed Tellabs' new chief executive officer (CEO) and president, Krish Prabhu, 49, a seasoned executive whose 24 years of telecom experience includes roles as chief operating officer of Alcatel Telecom and CEO of Alcatel USA. Prabhu was most recently a partner at Morgenthaler Ventures, a communications and information technology focused venture capital firm. Prabhu also joins Tellabs' board of directors and will be included in the election slate for Tellabs' 2004 annual stockholder meeting. Michael J. Birck, a company founder, a board member throughout the company's 29-year- history and CEO for 27 years, continues as chairman of the board. Both appointments are effective Feb. 12.

"Krish Prabhu is the right leader to guide Tellabs forward, balancing a clear vision of the industry's future with the real-world ability to get the right things done," Birck said. "He brings the technical depth, international breadth, customer relationships and leadership experience that Tellabs needs to achieve and sustain profitable growth."

"Now is a time of many opportunities in telecom, and I look forward to working with Tellabs employees and customers to build a bright future together," Prabhu said. "Tellabs' strategies for profitable growth, solid financial foundation, market-leading products and strong customer relationships are key ingredients in creating value for our stockholders and customers."

Prabhu began his telecommunications career in 1980 with AT&T's Bell Laboratories as a member of the technical staff. In 1984, he joined Rockwell International's Network Transmission Division, where he served in various positions in research and development as well as management. After Rockwell's Network Transmission Division was acquired by Alcatel in 1991, Prabhu became vice president of business development and chief technical officer at Alcatel Network Systems, a role in which he oversaw research, product development and business development. He served as president of Alcatel Broadband Products for Alcatel Europe in 1995, until being promoted to CEO of Alcatel USA in 1997. In 1999, he was named chief operating officer of Alcatel Telecom. In 2001, Prabhu became a venture partner in Morgenthaler Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, Calif., and Cleveland, Ohio.

Tellabs Inc.