Xtellus Names Krishna Bala as CEO
Company continues to scale in response to explosive business growth
MORRIS PLAINS, NJ, June 5, 2007 - Xtellus, a leading supplier of advanced ROADM technology for the metro and long-haul optical equipment markets, announced today that it has appointed Dr. Krishna Bala, as president and CEO. Dr. Bala is a recognized innovator and leader in the optical networking industry and has served on Xtellus' board of directors since 2001. In addition to an intimate knowledge of the company and its technology, Dr. Bala brings extensive executive management, marketing, sales and business development experience to the company. As a founder of Tellium and its chief technical officer, Dr. Bala's leadership was pivotal in the company completing a very successful IPO in 2001 despite a downturn in the financial markets as well as the company amassing of over $1 billion in contracts. Dr. Bala's architecture work at Tellium revolutionized optical networks with the development of the world's first optical switch and advanced optical mesh networking software - a networking approach now adopted by carriers worldwide. Prior to Tellium Dr. Bala was the lead architect for Bellcore's multiwavelength optical networks project which laid the basis for today's ubiquitous DWDM networks that underlie all data, video and voice services. Dr. Bala replaces outgoing CEO, Mr. Thomas Dudley.
"We thank Tom for his excellent shepherding of Xtellus through its first stage of customer and revenue growth." said Tony Maher, Xtellus chairman of the board. "With Xtellus now at the beginning stages of explosive growth, our choice of CEO for this next stage has to bring not only an entrepreneurial zeal and deep understanding of our markets and technology, but equally vital the ability to significantly scale a business. When we started the search we realized the best candidate was already in our midst. Krishna, having grown Tellium from just a team of ten to a publicly traded company, brings a unique combination of innovation, business savvy and entrepreneurial spirit to guide Xtellus to the next level of success. His intimate knowledge of Xtellus from his years on the board provides the company and its customers the added advantage of a seamless transition." Besides Xtellus, Mr. Maher currently serves on the boards of publicly traded ADVA Optical AG, Wavecom S.A., and Alvarion, Ltd., as well as privately held Broadlight Inc.
"When Tony recruited me as CEO, I seized the opportunity because Xtellus is poised for explosive growth in the dynamic optical networking module market," said Dr. Bala. "The company has a robust mix of solid, mature ROADM products. With their market leading optical performance, they have been widely adopted by tier-one network equipment vendors worldwide. Xtellus' recent expansion in both manufacturing capacity and product lines with the introduction of a state-of-the-art Wavelength Selective Switch further positions the company to leverage the optical market's resurgent growth. Underlying the company's continued success is a strong platform for ongoing innovation based on patented optical designs and an in-house liquid crystal fab. Moreover, I am excited to build on my longstanding relationship with its founders, some of whom I have known for over fifteen years."
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