Light Conversion Names New CEO

Martynas Barkauskas has been named Light Conversion’s new CEO, succeeding Algirdas Juozapavicius, who has been at the helm of the company since its inception in 1994.

Juozapavicius will continue as adviser to the company’s management, but cited family as the reason for stepping down from the post and naming Barkauskas as CEO.

“After the intensive work that lasted a quarter of a century, time has come to devote more attention to the family and activities that I haven’t had the time for,” he said.

Juozapavicius founded the business on research work developing innovative light technology. Under his leadership, Light Conversion has been awarded various industry awards from both national and international groups.

Light Conversion manufactures femtosecond lasers, optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs), and noncollinear OPAs.

Barkauskas began his career with Light Conversion in 2009 when he worked as an engineer constructor at the laser department. He later became head of the department’s service team, and in 2014 he became the head of the sales. In 2009, he defended a thesis in the field of physical science entitled “Kinetic Spectroscopy of Nonlinear Crystals and Photochromic Switches” and was awarded a doctorate of science degree.

In February 2019, UAB MGF Šviesos Konversija changed its name to Light Conversion UAB. There have been some changes in the company’s management as well. The company appointed Algis Petras Piskarskas, Romualdas Danielius, Mykolas Juozapavicius, Marc Watremez, and Dominykas Vizbaras as members of its board of directors.

The products of Light Conversion are exported to more than 40 countries. Its main clients are industrial companies and scientific institutions. Its key products are exported to major global scientific and industrial centers in Germany, Japan, the U.S., China, and Great Britain. Currently, the company has dealers and partners in European, North American, and Asian countries, as well as branches in the U.S., China, and South Korea.

The company has grown steadily and expanded rapidly over the last 25 years. In 2013, it moved into a new 4050-sq-m building, which now houses laser and nonlinear optic device manufacturing and research departments, a cleanroom unit, and the administration. The summer of 2018 marked the inauguration of a new 2500 block where manufacturing is developed, research done, and new lasers designed. The total area of scientific and manufacturing facilities has grown to over 6500 sq m. New lasers and laser systems are developed in 20 scientific and manufacturing laboratories, with nine more laboratories to be launched soon.