UniPixel Appoints Jeff Hawthorne as President and Chief Executive Officer
April 14 2014 - 8:31AM
Marketwired
UniPixel Appoints Jeff Hawthorne as President and Chief Executive
Officer
THE WOODLANDS, TX--(Marketwired - Apr 14, 2014) - UniPixel, Inc.
(NASDAQ: UNXL), a provider of Performance Engineered Films™ to the
touch screen, flexible printed electronics and display markets, has
appointed flat panel display industry veteran Jeff Hawthorne as
chief executive officer, president and director.
Hawthorne, who has been acting as an operational consultant for
the company, succeeds Bernard Marren and Carl Yankowski, who were
serving as interim co-CEO and co-president. Marren will remain
chairman of the board and Yankowski will continue to serve as a
company director. Marren will also return to the position of
chairman of the compensation committee, with Yankowski returning to
chairman of the audit committee.
Hawthorne brings to UniPixel more than 33 years of senior
management and advanced technology product development experience,
including leading the introduction of innovative, commercially
successful products in the flat panel display, manufacturing
equipment industry.
"Jeff's extensive experience in leading cross-functional,
international organizations engaged in creating market-leading
technology fits perfectly with our present stage of development and
the challenges we face ahead," said Marren. "His proven ability to
introduce and commercialize flat panel display, high volume
manufacturing equipment as head of Photon Dynamics will come to
bear as we work towards finalizing a reliable, high-volume,
roll-to-roll production process for our pro-cap, multi-touch sensor
films."
At Photon Dynamics, Hawthorne had risen through the ranks, from
inspection system applications engineer to VP of development and
president of its image processing division, then eventually
president and CEO of the company before it was acquired by Orbotech
for $290 million. The company was the leading supplier of test,
repair and inspection equipment for the flat panel display
industry, with 350 employees and operations in Japan, Korea, Taiwan
and China. As president and CEO, he oversaw multiple new product
introductions, which drove the company's market share to 80%, and
grew annual revenues from $70 million to $180 million.
After Photon Dynamics, he served as senior vice president and
general manager of the MOCVD business unit at Veeco, where he was
responsible for revenue of $300 million and 350 employees.
"In my role as operational consultant, over the last several
weeks I have met extensively with the management and staff of
UniPixel and its manufacturing partner, Kodak," said Hawthorne. "I
have learned a great deal about the company's process development
activities and the significant market potential of UniPixel's touch
sensors for Smartphones, tablets, notebooks and all-in-one product
applications. I am impressed by the company's culture of innovation
and its drive to succeed. I believe there is a strong technical
foundation for the touch sensor product that we can build from to
overcome the challenges of volume production. I look forward to
leading the company through this critical stage of its
development."
Earlier in his career, Hawthorne held various technical and
management roles at companies in flat panel display engineering
consulting and the development of custom thin film deposition
equipment used for semiconductor, solar and wear coating
applications.
Hawthorne currently serves as a director on the board of
directors at Iteru Systems, a developer of a unique enterprise data
management platform. He is also a member of the visiting committee
for Dean of Engineering School at the University of Rochester, as
well as a member of the selection panel at the University of
Rochester Technology Development Fund.
Hawthorne holds a Master of Science in Optical Engineering from
the University of Rochester, Institute of Optics and a Bachelor of
Science, Cum Laude, in Engineering Physics from the University of
Colorado, Boulder. He also attended the Stanford Executive Program
at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Hawthorne is
also an inventor on seven patents in automated machine vision
technology for inspection and test of flat panel displays.
About UniPixel Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, UniPixel,
Inc. (NASDAQ: UNXL) delivers Performance Engineered Films to the
Display and Flexible Electronics markets. UniPixel's high-volume
roll-to-roll or continuous flow manufacturing process offers
high-fidelity replication of advanced micro-optic structures and
surface characteristics over large areas. A key focus for UniPixel
is developing electronic conductive films for use in electronic
sensors for consumer and industrial applications. The company's
roll-to-roll electronics manufacturing process prints fine line
conductive elements on thin films. The company is marketing its
films for touch panel sensor, cover glass replacement, protective
cover film, antenna and custom circuitry applications under the
UniPixel label, and potentially under private label or Original
Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) brands. For further information,
visit www.unipixel.com.
Forward-looking Statements All statements in this news release
that are not based on historical fact are "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. While management has
based any forward-looking statements contained herein on its
current expectations, the information on which such expectations
were based may change. These forward-looking statements rely on a
number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a
number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which
are outside of our control that could cause actual results to
materially differ from such statements. Such risks, uncertainties,
and other factors include, but are not necessarily limited to,
those set forth under Item 1A "Risk Factors" in the companies'
respective Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2013. We operate in a highly competitive and rapidly changing
environment, thus new or unforeseen risks may arise. Accordingly,
investors should not place any reliance on forward-looking
statements as a prediction of actual results. We disclaim any
intention to, and undertake no obligation to, update or revise any
forward-looking statements. Readers are also urged to carefully
review and consider the other various disclosures in the companies'
respective Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form
10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.
Trademarks in this release are the property of their respective
owners.
Investor Relations Contact: Ron Both Liolios Group, Inc. Tel
949-574-3860 Email Contact
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