OIDA Webinar Series: Facing the New Normal | Reopening Businesses
30 June 2020 12:00 - 13:15
Eastern Time (US & Canada) (UTC -05:00)This webinar is the first in our new series as we transition our COVID-19 event-oriented weekly webinars to the ongoing OIDA Business Track Webinar Series with less frequency. The current theme for this business track webinar is “Working Together under the New Normal” on managing for a rebound from Covid-19. This session will feature a focus on messages and best practices for SMEs (Small, Medium Enterprises). We will hear from three CEOs on how they have dealt with employee, customer and supply chain topics—and where this evolves to yield best customer service, team morale and forward product planning and execution. How do they plan to decide focus in the future—growth vs. hunker down? Do new opportunities arise from this to expand their business… where and how? Our panel members are all CEOs of SME firm, and have multi-national operations and customers to manage. Join us for exchanging ideas of how they have dealt with issues to date and expect to address the coming months of operations and communications with all their constituents—customers, employees, suppliers, and investors/bankers.
Speakers:
Amy Eskilson, Inrad Optics, President and CEO
Amy Eskilson has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Inrad Optics since October 2012. A strong advocate for localized manufacturing, Amy is focused on building an organization that is competitive and profitable while delivering products with extraordinary optical specifications. Inrad Optics offers a unique expertise in novel crystal development, bent crystal x-ray optics, large format and multi-element optical assemblies.
Prior to joining the Inrad Optics team Amy spent 18 years with Thorlabs, Inc., a photonic tools catalogue company, where she served as Director of Business Development from 2001 to 2011. In this role Amy coordinated a team responsible for a total of eight acquisitions. She fostered the development of multiple partner companies, technology transfers and IP license agreements.
Prior to discovering optics and photonics Amy received her BA degree in Communications from Montclair State University and spent several years in New York at McCann Worldwide, the global marketing firm.
Basil Garabet, NKT Photonics, CEO
Basil Garabet, a 37-year global Photonics Industry veteran, has successfully spearheaded companies such as JK Lasers, EM4, Altitun, Melles Griot and Lasertron. Since 2015, Basil has been the President and CEO of NKT Photonics – a pioneering photonics company headquartered in Denmark which specializes in high-performance fiber and solid-state lasers, fiber optic sensing systems, and photonic crystal fibers.
In addition, Basil is a member of the board of the European Photonics Industry Consortium, EPIC, promoting the sustainable development of organizations working in the field of photonics in Europe.
Basil holds an MSc in Lasers and Their Applications.
Sam Rubin, LightPath Technologies, CEO
In Mr. Rubin’s prior senior executive role at Thorlabs, he was responsible for Thorlabs’ Imaging Systems Division, a standalone organization with its own sales and marketing, as well as global responsibility for all of Thorlabs’ Life Science activities. Among the positions he held at Thorlabs, Mr. Rubin founded and grew Thorlabs’s fast growing operation in China, and spearheaded Thorlabs’ entry and significant growth in the Life Sciences market. As a member of the senior executive team, Mr. Rubin lead new strategic initiatives for Thorlabs, including new product lines, acquisitions and growth into new markets. Prior to joining Thorlabs, Mr. Rubin co-founded XLight Photonics, an optical communication startup, which was later sold to a telecommunications private equity firm. Mr. Rubin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering from Ben Gurion University, a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University, Stern School of Business, and is a graduate of the Executive Education, Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.
Moderator:
John Dexheimer, OIDA Council Member, Lightwave Advisors, Inc., President
John Dexheimer is President of LightWave Advisors, and he is an Optical Society OSA-OIDA Council member, a member of SPIE Prism Awards Judges, and a frequent speaker and panel organizer at SPIE Photonics West and OSA industry events. He has assisted in funding, M&A, and partnering for over technology 100 firms. Since 1994, he has been extensively involved in the photonics sector. He managed the IPO of Uniphase (now Lumentum and Viavi), helped it grow via acquisitions, then lead investments and acquisitions for several OE component and systems firms. Recently he was a board member/advisor of a LIDAR firm which was acquired by Ford-Argo in 2017. John has been a partner in several venture capital funds and an advisor to portfolio firms for numerous VC/PE investment funds in technology. He has held executive roles in startups and mature firms in addition to serving on Boards of public and private firms. John holds an MBA from Harvard University and a B.S. from the University of Minnesota, College of Science and Engineering where he is on the Advisory Board.
