Princeton Lightwave, Inc., (PLI) announcedtoday that John D. Pittman is joining the company as president and chief executive officer. Pittman was previously managing director with global responsibility for the Optoelectronics Division of Nortel Networks. His extensive experience in the communications and semiconductor industries includes 17 years in various executive positions at Nortel Networks. Under Pittman’s leadership, Nortel’s Optoelectronics Division has grown nearly ten-fold since 1996.

“I’ve joined Princeton Lightwave because it promises to be an exciting place to work,” said Pittman. “This is an outstanding organization with world-class technology developed at Sarnoff, which is one of the premier R&D laboratories in optical communications.”

“Attracting John to Princeton Lightwave is a tremendous coup for our company and a strong endorsement of our technology,” said John Connolly, vice president of engineering and a founder of Princeton Lightwave. “John has great leadership abilities, deep industry knowledge, and high stature within the optoelectronics community. These qualities will help Princeton Lightwave quickly become a technology leader and a major supplier of optical components to the telecommunications industry.” The recruiting company,Heidrick & Struggles, performed the search for Mr. Pittman.

PLI is an early-stage optical communications company formed through a spin-off from Sarnoff Corporation. PLI is engaged in the development, manufacture, and marketing of high-performance optical components, including high-power pump lasers and modules. The company recently secured $28 million in first-round financing from a venture capital syndicate that includes Morgenthaler Ventures, USVP,and Venrock Associates.

http://www.morgenthaler.com
http://www.usvp.com
http://www.venrock.com