Optica has named Jose Pozo, former CTO of the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), to the same position on its executive team. Pozo will lead efforts to build relationships across the diverse community of optics and photonics companies around the globe, Optica said. The organization added that Pozo will be responsible for driving the growth of Optica’s portfolio of industry-focused programs. Connecting Optica corporate members with end users of photonics will be one of his immediate priorities. Jose Pozo. Courtesy of Optica. “There has never been a better time than now for the world to invest in photonics, as it is finally a well-established term used by the main high-tech multinationals worldwide,” Pozo said. “Breakthrough innovation in areas like metalenses, hybrid photonic integrated circuits, lidar, SPADs, femtosecond lasers, biosensors, neural networks, and quantum computing means that strong business cases are building for early adopters.” “Jose’s expertise in identifying emerging markets and end-user needs/opportunities across sectors will be a tremendous asset to our Optica corporate community,” said Elizabeth Rogan, CEO of Optica. “Our leadership was familiar with Jose’s depth of knowledge and impressed by his innovative approach to serving corporations — especially in the area of facilitating mutually beneficial business connections.” Pozo will be available for corporate member discussions next week (March 6-10) during OFC, the largest global conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals. Online meetings with a wide array of photonics industry contacts will be announced shortly. Before joining EPIC in 2015 as CTO, Pozo was a senior photonics technology consultant with PNO Consultants.