News: Optoelectronics
4 February 2025
Lumentum appoints Michael Hurlston as president & CEO as Alan Lowe retires
Lumentum Holdings Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which designs and makes optical and photonic products for cloud/AI, networking and industrial and consumer laser applications) has appointed Michael Hurlston as president & CEO and director, effective 7 February. He succeeds Alan Lowe, who has served as president & CEO since 2015 and will continue to serve on the board of directors and as an advisor.
Hurlston has over 30 years of senior leadership experience within the industry. He joins Lumentum from Synaptics Inc, a pioneer of human interface hardware and software, where he was president & CEO and a member of its board of directors since joining the company in August 2019. From January 2018 to August 2019, he was CEO and a member of the board of optical communications firm Finisar Corp, where he oversaw its acquisition by II-VI Inc. He also served as executive VP, worldwide sales and in a variety of management roles at Broadcom Ltd during his 17 years with the firm and its predecessor corporation (from November 2001 through October 2017) across sales, marketing and general management functions, including serving as senior VP & general manager of the Mobile Connectivity Products/Wireless Communications and Connectivity Division. Previously, Hurlston held senior marketing and engineering positions at Oren Semiconductor Inc, Avasem, Integrated Circuit Systems, Micro Power Systems, Exar and IC Works from 1991 to 2001.
Hurlston has served as a member of the board of directors and the Audit Committee of Flextronics International Ltd. since September 2020. From August 2016 to August 2021, he was a member of the board of directors and the Compensation, Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees of Ubiquiti Networks Inc. He sits on the board of executive trustees of the UC Davis Foundation, the Dean’s Executive Committee for the College of Engineering and the Dean’s Advisory Counsel for the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis. Hurlston holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Davis.
“He will help us continue and grow our current strong momentum in our cloud/AI data-center strategy and build upon our success in the networking and industrial markets – contributing to an accelerated multi-year growth trajectory,” believes Penny Herscher, chair of Lumentum’s board of directors. “Michael’s global experience, with his combined background in semiconductors and the optical communications industry, and his proven ability to lead through sustained periods of profitable growth, makes him uniquely qualified to lead our company in this specialized segment of the industry, and will enable Lumentum to capitalize on the rapidly evolving global photonics opportunity,” she adds.
Lowe has “driven strong execution against our long-term growth strategy and positioned us well within the cloud and AI photonics market,” Herscher continues. “He will continue to serve Lumentum as a director to effect a smooth transition, and look forward to continuing to benefit from his expertise and insights.”
“Leading the talented Lumentum team for the past 18 years – first at our predecessor company and then over the last decade as a standalone public company – has been both a privilege and a joy,” comments Lowe. “In that time, our business has undergone tremendous transformation and growth in both existing and new markets. We have intensely focused on serving our customers, invested in market-leading innovation, and entered new markets, and are now on a clear growth trajectory,” he adds.
“The company’s highly differentiated portfolio of foundational photonic technologies and strategically located manufacturing capabilities coupled with positive demand trends point to the significant opportunities ahead,” says Hurlston.
December-quarter revenue and earnings to match or exceed guidance
In preliminary results for its fiscal second-quarter 2025 (to end-December 2024), Lumentum expects net revenue of $402m (up 9.6% on $366.8m a year ago) and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.40–0.42 (up from $0.32). These are at the high end of, or above, the prior financial guidance of revenue of $380–400m and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.30–0.40. The firm will report full financial results on 6 February.
Lumentum’s quarterly revenue falls 16% to $308.3m
