Please note, preferably register only one person per company for best possible networking.
Photonics is revolutionizing the defense industry, providing more accurate and reliable ways to detect, identify, and engage with threats. From highly sensitive detectors operating beyond the visible spectrum to resilient communication links and advanced imaging systems, photonic technologies are delivering new levels of battlefield awareness, efficiency, and operator safety. With the ability to ensure mission success from target acquisition to secure data transmission, these technologies are an essential tool for modern defense and security forces.
Nick Werstiuk (CEO) is the Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Valley Ideas Lab. Prior to joining Ideas Lab in 2020, Mr. Werstiuk was Director of AI Offerings at IBM where he led an AI and HPC product portfolio commercializing research innovations into successful products. Nick’s broad expertise includes early-stage technology commercialization, new product development, corporate strategy and development, and identifying growth markets to drive technology research towards commercial success. Nick graduated with Honours from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering.
Ahmad Atieh (Vice President - Optical Systems) had received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Ottawa Canada in 1997, M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology in 1987 and B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Yarmouk University Jordan in 1985. His current research interests are in the fields of optical fiber communication systems including optical fiber characterization, optical amplifiers, nonlinear fiber optics, and optical communication transmission systems. As well as in Free-space optical communication systems. He has contributed more than 200 technical papers in different refereed journals and conferences. He holds over 35 issued patents and patent pending. He worked at the National Research Council of Canada, JDS Uniphase Inc, BTI Systems Inc in Canada, Taibah University in Madinah Saudi Arabia, Jordan University in Amman Jordan. He is currently VP at Optiwave Systems Inc. Canada and Adjunct Professor at University of Ottawa.
Laurent Luong (Area Sales Manager France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal) graduated from University of Pierre et Marie CURIE with a Master Degree in Applied Physics. He worked 15 years for Hamamatsu Photonics as OEM Sales Manager for Instrumentation (medical imaging, biomedical, …) in France, then 3 years as European OEM Sales Manager for 3 Newport production lines: Filters, Gratings (Richardson) and Replicated Mirrors. Since 2009, he is acting as Area Sales Manager for Optics Balzers for the whole product line.
Pierre Chazan (Senior Business Development Manager) earned his PhD (1993) as well as his engineering degree in Electronics(1989) from Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG). After 10 Years in R&D at Alcatel-Lucent (now Nokia) and Fraunhofer Institut IAF Freiburg where he developed high power MQW laser diodes, he joined Atmel , e2v (now Teledyne e2v), First Sensor (now TE-Connectivity) in various positions in business development of CCD & CMOS imagers, photodiodes and APDs for a wide range of markets including A&D, Space, Industrial and medical. Since 2022 he is in charge of business development at Laser Components France.
Andrei Ardelean (Founder & CTO) launched NovoViz in 2023 after completing a postdoctoral research position at EPFL, where he also earned his PhD in Microelectronics. His prior experience includes work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and FORVIA HELLA, where he contributed to advanced sensor and detection technologies. He holds a Master’s degree in Microelectronics from Delft University of Technology.
Claire Valentin (Chief Strategy Officer) is a double graduate engineer in optics and MBA. Claire spent ten years in French MoD to fund and manage R&D projects in electronic and optics. She followed her experience in telecoms business as product line marketing manager in Alcatel Optronics, then in Xray medical imaging and ophthalmic lenses. Skilled in Business to Business marketing in high value-added products, she was VP Marketing in Sofradir (now Lynred), leader in infrared detectors, during 5 years. She joined Photonis as Chief Strategy Officer, end of 2021.
Jens Möller (Head of Optics) is an expert in optical components and optical design and has a wealth of experience in infrared optics and infrared materials. He studied Physical Technology and Optical System Technology at the University of Applied Sciences Ravensburg-Weingarten in Württemberg, Germany. Jens has been an R&D Engineer in the Optics & Laser Techniques department at Diehl Defence since 2008. He has also served as an expert for optical design and optical components at Diehl Group since 2011.
Adrian Hannebauer (Project Manager) oversees technical projects in the fiber optics and photonics sector. Prior to this position, he served as a Research Associate at Leibniz University Hannover and held a prestigious fellowship at the Hannover School for Nanotechnology for over three years. His academic career also includes significant experience as a Teaching Assistant and Tutor in Physical, Analytical, and General Chemistry. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Inorganic Chemistry (graduating Magna cum laude), a Master of Science in Chemistry with a focus on Material and Nanochemistry, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, all from Leibniz University Hannover.
Jyri Hämäläinen (Head of Product Management and Marketing) is Head of Product Management and Marketing at Emberion. He is also one of the founders of Emberion. In his current role he is in charge of Emberion’s product portfolio, future business directions as well as all marketing activities. Previously, as Director of Sales and Marketing he was responsible for all commercial activities within Emberion. Before incubating Emberion he worked at Nokia taking the leading edge innovations from Nokia’s technology group commercial.
Dominic Schulz (Head of Photonics) has almost 15 years of experience in the field of photonics. Fraunhofer HHI offers various services and solutions related to quantum technologies, like QKD systems or components for quantum sensing. Dominic received the M.Eng. degree in communications engineering from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Germany, in 2012, and the Ph.D. degree from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, in 2019. In 2012, he joined the Department of Photonic Networks and Systems at Fraunhofer HHI, where he worked in the field of optical wireless communications. His research interests included the development of high data rate systems for wireless access and research towards short-range outdoor backhaul links for small radio cells and wireless-to-the-home. He led several national as well as international research projects and was developing optical wireless systems together with partners from industry. From 2020 onwards he was responsible for the research and development of the optical wireless communication topic and was deputy head of group at Fraunhofer HHI. After completing his MBA at RWTH Aachen University in 2021, he now heads the Strategy Photonics group at Fraunhofer HHI, where he is responsible for business development, strategy and marketing for all photonic departments.
Eric Belhaire (Senior Expert - Technical Director) received his PhD Diploma in electrical engineering from the university of Paris-Sud in 1992 after graduating in applied physics from the “Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan” with a diploma of master and an “agrégation de Physique”. He was a research scientist at CNRS (French Research Agency) between 1992 and 2007. During this period, he was leading a research group in the Institute of Fundamental Electronics (IEF) at the University Paris Sud. He was working in the field of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit design with a special interest for vision circuits (image sensors; silicon retinas), Microsystems and new technologies in Systems-on-chip. Between 1998 and 1999 at Thales Company, Eric’s goal was to transfer the laboratory innovations in advanced infrared detectors. After 2000 he was scientific advisor for Thales for the development of QWIP and InGaAs detectors and their associated readout integrated circuits (ROIC) in CMOS technology. In 2008, he left the CNRS to join Thales. After several years of R&D group management, he became senior expert in Electro-Optical technologies within the technical directorate.
Antti Penttinen (CEO) leads Picophotonics as the Co-Founder and chief executive, a role he has held since 2019. Under his leadership, the company focuses on the development and commercialization of specialized laser technologies, drawing on his expertise in project management and business development within the photonics industry. He holds a Master of Science in Physics from Tampere University.
Oliver Grass (CEO) has been pivotal in advancing hyperspectral imaging applications since the early 2000s. With deep expertise in optical technology and systems development, he has established inno-spec as a leader in machine vision, enhancing operational efficiency and material analysis accuracy. Actively involved in industry associations, Oliver's commitment to innovation and collaboration drives the evolution of image technology across various industries.
Uwe Vogel (Division Director Microdisplays & Sensors) is an expert in semiconductor microelectronics and biomedical engineering with a career rooted in both technical and strategic leadership. Since 2010, he has served as the Head of Business Unit/Division "Microdisplays and Sensors" at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresden, Germany. His background combines practical training as a skilled worker in semiconductor microelectronics with advanced academic credentials, including a diploma in information technology and a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering.
Krishna Kumar (Head of Technology) has over 25 years of experience in the development of photonic products with applications in multiple areas including telecom, medical, and defence markets. He has a successful track record of R&D leadership and excels in promoting a culture of innovation with a global objective. Prior to Avirata, he co-founded and led innovative photonic product development companies.. Krishna Kumar holds an MSc in Physics from the Univ. of Hyderabad, an MSEE from Oregon Health and Sciences University, and has completed a program in Technology Management from Georgia Tech.
Hervé Gouraud (Sales Director) is a French professional specializing in photonics and optical technologies. He has built extensive experience in the telecommunications and optronics industries, particularly in commercial and business development roles. He has notably worked at Exail (formerly iXblue and Photline), where he is still serving as Sales Director in the photonics sector. A graduate of the University of Limoges, he developed strong expertise in optical fibers, photonics systems, and fiber-optic communication technologies. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the promotion and commercialization of advanced optical solutions used in telecommunications, space, defense, research, and industrial applications. His work focuses on connecting cutting-edge photonics innovations with practical market needs across international markets.
Gareth Hesketh (Group Leader EO Technologies) has been at MBDA since 1998 employed in a number of roles including as a Guidance Control and Navigation (GCN) Engineer working a range of MBDA products including Storm Shadow, Meteor, and was the team lead responsible for the delivery of the Fire Shadow Mid-course Guidance, Navigation and Airframe Control algorithms. Before joining Seekers and Datalink Systems in 2021, Gareth was the WSRF Research Realisation Lead (RRL), and systems domain lead on the Materials and Composites for Missiles Innovation Technology Partnership (MCM-ITP), supervising a range of low TRL novel technology developments. Gareth then led the EO technologies Group from Oct 2021, delivering research into Computational Imagining, future EO seeker detectors technologies, LIDAR, dome materials, as well as a range of EO seeker concepting studies for future weapons systems. Gareth became the S&DS External R&T Lead in Jan 2026.
Guillaume Machinet (Innovation Partnership Manager) leads R&D partnerships and strategic initiatives in healthcare, aerospace, and sustainable development. His career includes managing laser source industrialization at ALPhANOV and serving as a Project Manager at Amplitude Laser Group, specializing in femtosecond and fiber laser systems. He began his professional work as a Doctoral Researcher at the Laboratoire Centre des Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), developing high-power femtosecond fiber CPA lasers. Guillaume holds a Master’s degree in Lasers, Matter, and Nanosciences from Université Bordeaux 1 and studied the Management of Technological Innovation at Ecole Polytechnique Executive Education.
Florent Colas (Optronics Technical Referent) has been an engineer in optronics for over 21 years. He began his career at Ifremer, a French research institute, where he spent 14 years as a research engineer developing optronic sensors for marine and submarine applications. During this time, he was involved in several research projects on plasmonic sensors. In 2019, he transitioned to civilian aeronautics, joining Safran Aerosystems as an expert in optronics and project manager. Since 2024, he has been working in defense at Thales Land and Air Systems as a technical referent in optronics technologies within the Technical Directorate of the Optronics and Missile Electronics business line.
Jacek Kulakowski (Business Development Manager) has been driving business development at VIGO Photonics since March 2022, with over three years of experience in the role. He holds a Master of Science (MS) degree in Applied Physics from Warsaw University of Technology, where he studied from 2012 to 2019.
Sven Sassning (Business Development Manager) has been part of the optics team at Jabil in Jena since February 2024. Before joining Jabil, he gained valuable experience at Trioptics and in the pharmaceutical industry. He holds an engineering degree in physics. With over 15 years of experience in optical test and measurement, optics and optomechanical assembly, Sven is ideally suited to successfully guide customer projects from ideation to mass production and remains the ideal point of contact at all stages. In his leisure time, Sven enjoys spending time with his family and travelling the world.
Davide Frigerio (EMEA Business Developer) graduated in Materials Science at the University of Milano-Bicocca. He worked for several years in R&D/product development in the field of smart materials and special alloys, taking part in many innovation projects and filing several patents. He joined SAES Group in 2015 as a Product Development Engineer of Nitinol Shape Memory Alloy components. Since 2022, he manages the new business opportunities for Getter components and device packaging in various market segments including Defense, Medical, Electronics and Renewable Energy.
Nicolas Germain (Optronics Product Manager) leads the portfolio of uncooled OEM thermal cameras for defense and security markets, covering strategic marketing, product innovation, technical sales support, and industrialization. An engineer by training , Nicolas has built a career spanning over 30 years at the crossroads of technology and business, across sectors as diverse as aeronautics, energy, nuclear, and critical industrial systems, with companies including CS Communication & Systèmes, Bull, CODRA and Amesys. He joined Bertin in 2019 to develop a high-value product line in the field of optronics.
