News: Optoelectronics
7 June 2022
POET appoints Arista Networks’ chief procurement director as board advisor
POET Technologies Inc of Toronto, Ontario, Canada — a designer and developer of the POET Optical Interposer and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for the data-center and telecom markets — has appointed Theresa Lan Ende, currently chief procurement director of Arista Networks, as an advisor to its board of directors. The firm also intends to nominate her as a director at its Annual General Meeting scheduled for 6 October.
“As part of that upcoming meeting, we will be proposing to shareholders an increase in the size of the board and appointment of Theresa,” says chairman & CEO Dr Suresh Venkatesan. “She brings to our board a wealth of knowledge and experience in global supply chain management, operations and planning gained from several leading companies in our industry, including Arista Networks, JDS Uniphase, Force10 Networks, Cisco Systems and ROLM Telecommunications,” she adds. “She has a unique and valuable perspective on present-day supply chain matters and is expected to be an insightful voice on the board as the company grows in size and stature.”
Before her appointment as chief procurement director of Arista Networks in 2019, Theresa Lan Ende served for 10 years as its senior director of global supply chain management. Prior to Arista, she held senior positions at JDSU Optical Division and Force10 Networks. At Cisco Systems and ROLM Telecommunications, Ende held various program management and planning management positions over a 20-year period. In 2019, she was honored as one of the ‘Top 100 Women of Influence’ by Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Option grant
For her services as an advisor for the period from 1 June, through the date of the next AGM, the board of directors has approved a combination of option grants and cash payment equivalent to the compensation of other members of the board who hold no committee chair positions. Specifically, a grant of 4745 options will be made to Ende, which will vest monthly in arrears over four months. The options are exercisable for 10 years at a price of CAD$7.16, being the closing price of the company’s shares on 31 May. In addition, Ende will receive a cash payment of US$7500. The options were granted subject to provisions of the company’s 2021 Stock Option Plan and are subject to the TSX Venture Exchange policies and applicable securities laws.
