HOLMDEL, NJ - VPIsystems, the maker of enterprise-class software for the communications industry, today announced the appointment of Kevin Connolly to the position of president, with operational responsibility for the company's network lifecycle management and photonic design automation businesses.

Connolly brings 20 years of telecommunications experience to VPI. As president of Telcordia Technologies International from 1995 to 2000, he built the global service provider business from $9M to $225M, rolling out a dozen branch offices and subsidiaries in Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), Latin America and the Asia Pacific. Prior to this role, Connolly established Alcatel's global data communications hardware and software business as executive vice president of sales and marketing and was also a member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Network Applications Division of Alcatel. Since 2000, Connolly has provided sales, marketing and business development leadership in the next generation telephony marketplace, as vice president for business development at OpticNet and vice president of marketing and sales at empowerTel.

"I'm very pleased to welcome Kevin Connolly to our management team," said Kay Iversen, CEO at VPI. "Kevin brings important insights about our customers' needs in network lifecycle management and photonic design automation. He shares our passion for building products and markets, and brings an influential network of business contactsntact to VPI that encompasses network operators and vendors in America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia."

VPIsystems Inc.