ADVA Optical Networking has named Nikos Theodosopoulos as Chairman of its three-person supervisory board.
Following a unanimous proposal by ADVA's management board, the court appointed Nikos Theodosopoulos as a member of the supervisory board until the next General Meeting.
Nikos Theodosopoulos succeeds Anthony Maher, chairman of the supervisory board since 2009, who died unexpectedly in November last year.
Nikos Theodosopoulos runs his own firm, NT Advisors LLC, as an independent board director and consultant but he is also an active investor for start-ups in the technology sector. His extensive experience encompasses 30 years in the technology and finance industries, including 18 years as a Wall Street equity research analyst with UBS and 10 years as an engineer and sales executive at Bell Laboratories and AT&T.
He is also a board member of Arista Networks since March 2014.
Nikos Theodosopoulos said: "I have always been impressed with ADVA Optical Networking’s innovations and the successful expansion of its global customer base. The company’s commitment to excellence and its desire to have top-notch leadership at the helm is noteworthy and I am excited to help drive further growth and to take part in the continued success of the company."
Brian Protiva, CEO of ADVA said: "We are excited to welcome Nikos Theodosopoulos as the Chairman to our Supervisory Board. His long years and the combination of successful leadership of global telecom and financial powerhouses will serve ADVA Optical Networking well. Nikos’ insight and experience will provide us with continued vision to solidify and further expand ADVA Optical Networking’s position in a competitive market environment."
The other members of ADVA's supervisory board are Prof. Dr. Johanna Hey (vice chair), Professor for Tax Law, University of Cologne, Germany, and Eric Protiva Managing Director, EGORA Holding GmbH, Martinsried/Munich, Germany.
The optical transport equipment vendor has also made recent changes to its management team. Ulrich Dopfer has taken over the role of CFO and president of ADVA's North American subsidiary from Jaswir Singh, who left the company at the end of last year. A ten-year ADVA Optical veteran, Dopfer previously served as the company’s vice president of financial planning and analysis and corporate services.
Dopfer joins the current executive team, consisting of chief executive officer Brian Protiva and chief technology officer Christoph Glingener.
