Optica to Put Procedural Changes in Place Following Funding Investigation

Following the departure of now former CEO Elizabeth Rogan and head of the Optica Foundation Chad Stark, Optica said it plans to enact changes to processes and procedures related to the Optica Foundation Challenge. Optica’s change in leadership followed an inquiry from the House of Representative’s Committee on Science, Space, and Technology into ties between Optica and blacklisted Chinese tech firm Huawei. The inquiry found that the Optica Foundation Challenge had accepted funds from Huawei.

In a statement last week, Optica President Gerd Leuchs said that the organization has reviewed processes controls and procedures surrounding the challenge and is executing changes to ensure that the organization is positioned for the future.

In an independent review undertaken by Optica’s board of directors, it was found that not all of the agreed controls associated with the Optica Foundation Challenge were followed. There was also a lack of transparency with the Optica Foundation Board.

“We regard these as serious issues, and we determined that a change in leadership is in the best interest of the organization,” Leuchs said.

Speaking with Photonics Media, Leuchs said that the organization will discuss these changes, along with plans to appoint a new CEO, at a meeting later this month. Optica will hold its Annual Business Meeting in Denver on Sept. 23, concurrent with the Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science tradeshow and exhibition.

“We don’t want to make any hasty decisions,” Leuchs told Photonics Media. He said that there is not yet an expected timeline to determine Rogan’s replacement.

The Congressional inquiry stemmed from a Bloomberg report in May that Huawei had been secretly funding U.S. research through donations to the Optica Foundation Challenge.