Ocean Optics Appoints Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Michael Kayat to lead global sales and marketing activities for leading optical sensing company
Dunedin, Florida (March 25, 2008) – Ocean Optics, a global leader in optical sensing solutions, has appointed Michael Kayat, Ph.D., to the position of Vice President, Sales and Marketing. He succeeds Rob Randelman, Ph.D., who was promoted to company President.
As Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Kayat will be responsible for managing all sales and marketing activities for the company’s line of miniature fiber optic spectrometers, optical sensors, sampling accessories, light sources, fibers, probe, thin films and optics. He will supervise a team of application and software sales engineers and identify new applications and markets worldwide for Ocean Optics’ existing and new products. With world headquarters in Dunedin, Fla. and locations in Europe and Asia, the company is able to provide regional sales and service for its global customers.
Prior to Ocean Optics, Kayat served as President of the Intellectual Capital Consulting division at UTEK Corporation, a specialty finance company focused on open innovation solutions for customers in a wide range of industries including biopharmaceuticals, consumer products, entertainment, semiconductors and telecommunications. He was previously Director, OEM Sales at semiconductor sensor products company SMaL Camera Technologies, which was acquired by Cypress Semiconductor. While at SMaL, he was successful in winning multi-year production programs with top global OEMs. Earlier positions include Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Exa Corporation and sales management positions with two supercomputer companies. He began his career at LogicaCMG, a global management and systems consulting company.
“Ocean Optics is a recognized leader in applying cost-effective photonics technologies to a wide range of optical sensing solutions. Our miniature spectrometer really did change the world,” commented Dr. Kayat. “We will continue to address our customer’s needs in current and new markets. As a member of a world class team, together we will take the company to new levels of corporate growth providing innovative products that truly give our customers compelling returns on their investments.”
Before entering the commercial world, Kayat was a research physicist developing and using imaging and spectroscopy instruments on board rockets and satellites. Together with a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Leicester University (UK) and an undergraduate Physics degree from University of Bristol (UK), Kayat holds an MBA degree from Pepperdine University (USA). He is a member of several professional organizations including OSA and SPIE, and a member of the Sales and Marketing Executives International.
