IDS Adds Managing Director; Pixxel Appoints CFO: People in the News: 1/31/24

IDS Imaging Development Systems has appointed Michael Berger as its managing director, replacing founder and shareholder Jürgen Hartmann who served on the management board for 27 years. Hartmann will act as chief innovation manager for the business. Berger most recently served as general manager of VARTA AG's lithium ion cell and solutions division. Additionally, the company named Jan Hartmann as head of finance, HR, IT, and Business Innovation & Ecosystem. Alexander Lewinsky will take over development in addition to his previous responsibilities in operations.

IDS Imaging managing director Michael Berger (pictured) has taken over management duties for company founder Jürgen Hartmann, who will serve as chief innovation manager. Courtesy of IDS Imaging Development Systems.

LOS ANGELES — Pixxel, a developer of hyperspectral Earth-imaging technology, has appointed William McCombe as its CFO. McCombe most recently served as CFO at 3D printing technology developer Velo3D where he oversaw the company's initial offering. Previously, he held the position for coatings technology company HZO, and for space imaging company Maxar, where he also served as executive vice president and led the company's merger with DigitalGlobe.

William McCombe. Courtesy of Pixxel.

CAMBRIDGE, England — Developer of gallium nitride transistors QPT has added Girvan Patterson as an advisor of the company. Patterson was CEO at GaN Systems Inc (now part of Infineon) for more than eight years and has been the founder of three major startups and seven IPOs and M&A transactions. He will be joining fellow GaN Systems cofounder Geoff Haynes in the same position.

Natalie Antal. Courtesy of Luminate.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Luminate, an accelerator for startups focused on optical and photonic technologies, has appointed Natalie Antal as its operations manager for National Science Foundation (NSF) programming. Prior to joining Luminate to oversee NSF grant initiatives, Antal served as the finance, operations, and program administrator with the Institute for Matter At eXtreme Energy Densities at the University of Rochester. She also spent nine years as the associate director of the University of Rochester's Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation where she managed grant- and donor-funded programming including business plan competitions and a student incubator.