Rockley appoints non-executive director to chair audit committee as it structures business for growth

Rockley Photonics of Pasadena, CA, USA (formed in 2013 to develop a silicon photonics platform for optical I/O in next-generation sensor systems and communications networks) has appointed Caroline Brown to its board of directors.

“Chairing our audit committee is a critical role as we structure our business for growth,” states chief finance officer Mahesh Karanth. “Our technology addresses multiple markets from data centers to the sensing environment for automation, autonomy, IOT and AI,” he adds. “We need the right financial platform in place to be successful in these high-growth sectors.”

Brown has served as senior independent director and audit chair for several AIM businesses and currently holds several non-executive directorships. She has over 18 years of experience in driving strategic growth and leading high-performing teams in the technology and professional services sectors, including roles with Merrill Lynch (New York), UBS and HSBC. Brown is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds a first-class degree and PhD in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, and an MBA from the Cass Business School, University of London.

“Caroline brings an impressive range of skills and experience, which adds to and complements the board’s extensive background in the public markets,” says Rockley’s founder, CEO & chairman Andrew Rickman. Rickman previously founded Bookham Technology (the first firm to commercialize silicon photonics), which had an IPO in 2000. He later became chairman of Kotura (sold to Mellanox in 2013).

“Recent industry M&A activity has highlighted the strategic value that manufacturers see in integrated photonics,” comments Brown.

Rockley says that its photonic technology platform was developed for high-volume manufacturing of highly integrated optical/electronic devices for high-performance applications. Exploiting optimized waveguide dimensions, it is claimed to offer benefits over conventional solutions, including the production of higher-density optical circuits, the ability to create more complex integration, better manufacturing tolerances, superior power handling, lower loss and higher-efficiency photonic IC interfaces. The firm adds that its technology can be adapted to be application specific, while simplifying manufacturing, assembly, test and validation, and optimizing power, size and cost of complex optical systems.

Tags: Silicon photonics

Visit: www.rockleyphotonics.com