We are pleased to welcome Doug Benner as a Non-Executive Director of Hawthorn Photonics. Doug brings decades of experience across the photonics, electro-optics, aerospace and defense industries, with a career spanning advanced technology, engineering, manufacturing and commercial leadership.

Most recently, Doug served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Teledyne Qioptiq. He previously led the Defense and Aerospace segment at Excelitas Technologies Corporation and was part of the senior leadership team during Teledyne’s acquisition of Excelitas’ Qioptiq Optical Systems and Advanced Electronic Systems businesses.

Commenting on the appointment, Thomas Clay, Chairman of Hawthorn Photonics, said: “Doug’s operational experience and track record of value-creating transactions are highly relevant and strategically important to Hawthorn. He has spent his career working at the intersection of advanced technology, engineering, manufacturing, and commercial delivery, including leading businesses serving some of the most technically demanding markets in the world. We are very pleased to welcome Doug to the team.”

Before joining Excelitas, Doug spent four years as Vice President and General Manager of PerkinElmer’s military and aerospace business. He previously held a number of positions within PerkinElmer Optoelectronics, including Product Platform Manager, Site Operations Leader, Multi-Site Operations Leader and Military/Aerospace Product Line Leader.

Earlier in his career, Doug was co-owner of The Laser and Photonics Center, specializing in laser materials processing for industrial applications, and held engineering, manufacturing and management positions with Monsanto and EG&G.

Doug holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Ohio University and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton. He also holds one patent and has authored several technical publications.

Doug said: “Hawthorn Photonics has brought together a group of specialized businesses with considerable expertise in advanced photonics. What particularly interests me is the opportunity to work with an organization that combines technical knowledge with a clear focus on developing technologies for real-world applications. I look forward to bringing my experience to the Board and working with the Hawthorn team as the company pursues its next stages of growth.”

Hawthorn Photonics brings together specialist companies with expertise across advanced photonics, from non-linear optical materials and frequency conversion to electro-optic modulation, laser systems and tunable light sources.

The group includes AdvR Inc. in Bozeman, Montana; Covesion in Southampton, UK; and Radiantis in Barcelona, Spain. By bringing together their complementary technologies and expertise, we provide advanced photonics solutions for quantum science, research, sensing, communications, industrial systems and next-generation optical applications.

Doug’s appointment strengthens our Board with extensive international experience in photonics and electro-optics as we continue to develop the Hawthorn Photonics group and pursue new opportunities for growth.

Walter joins us at an exciting stage in our development as we continue to strengthen collaboration across our three specialist businesses, Covesion in the UK, AdvR in the United States and Radiantis in Spain. His appointment marks an important step in bringing our commercial teams together, allowing us to offer customers a connected and coordinated experience while building on the technical expertise that has made each company successful.

As Vice President of Sales, Walter will lead our global sales organization, developing a unified commercial strategy across the Hawthorn Photonics group. He will oversee sales activities across our established markets, including defense, aerospace and scientific instrumentation, while helping us expand our presence in emerging areas such as quantum technologies.

Working closely with our engineering, scientific and marketing teams, Walter will ensure we continue to provide customers with photonics solutions that meet increasingly complex technical requirements. He will also lead the development of common sales processes, reporting systems and commercial best practice to support the group’s continued growth.

Walter brings more than 30 years of experience in the photonics and laser industry. Most recently, he served as Senior Director of International Sales at MKS Instruments, where he was responsible for the global distribution channel for the Newport and Spectra-Physics brands and led direct sales teams across Europe. In addition, he held senior leadership positions at Newport Corporation and Spectra-Physics, building extensive experience in international sales, business development and team leadership. Earlier in his career, he worked in engineering and operations with Philips Lighting and Etap Lighting, giving him a strong technical foundation alongside his commercial expertise. Walter holds a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Antwerp and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven.

Commenting on Walter’s appointment, Mike Day, President of Hawthorn Photonics, said: “Walter has spent his career helping customers solve complex technical challenges and leading international sales organizations in our industry. He understands both the science

behind our technologies and the commercial realities of the markets we serve. As we continue to bring Covesion, AdvR and Radiantis closer together as one group, his experience, leadership and collaborative approach will be instrumental in strengthening our global sales organization and supporting the next phase of our growth. We are delighted to welcome Walter to the Hawthorn Photonics team.”