Strengthens Executive Team to Drive Rapid Growth
Ottawa, Canada—Monday, May 5, 2008 // BTI Systems, a global supplier of Packet Optical Edge solutions for the delivery of Gigabit services, today announced that Gregory Koss has been appointed the company’s Chief Executive Officer in addition to his current Chairman of the Board role and that Allan M. Kline has been appointed as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. As existing members of BTI’s Board of Directors, Koss and Kline bring strong leadership skills to the company to capitalize on its growing position in the rapidly evolving Packet Optical Networking market.
“This is an exciting time for BTI with demand for the company’s Packet Optical Networking expertise driving rapid growth within one of the fastest developing segments of the optical networking industry,” said Koss. “With the Metro WDM market growing at 38 per cent and the transition to Packet Optical platforms in service providers and enterprises, BTI is leading the delivery of powerful next-generation Edge Systems infrastructure for HD video and data services. I am pleased to be joining a strong team and to be taking an active role in shaping its future.”
With his appointment to the position of CFO, Allan Kline brings more than 35 years of experience in global operations, financial strategy and control to the BTI business. As an independent board member, Kline has worked closely with BTI on its financial and corporate development strategies. Prior to joining BTI, Kline held CFO positions at public and private companies including Skyworks Solutions, Inc. and Acterna Corporation where he led multiple financings.
In his new appointment to CEO in addition to his current Executive Chairman role, Gregory Koss brings more than 25 years of experience as an executive leader within the networking and communications industries. As Executive Chairman of BTI, Koss has supported the executive team with first-hand knowledge of the industry, its evolution and customer opportunities. Prior to joining BTI he was CEO of Internet Photonics, a spin-off of Bell Labs that was sold to Ciena in May 2004. Koss has also held the positions of CEO at Sonoma Systems which was sold to Nortel in October 2000, and Chairman of Reef Point Systems, a provider of security gateway solutions for the fixed mobile convergence market.
“BTI is poised for success as it enters the next phase of its growth under new leadership,” said Pat DiPietro, Managing General Partner, VenGrowth Private Equity Partners. “On behalf of the entire board of directors, we want to thank Lance Laking, who will be leaving BTI, for his dedication to BTI Systems over the past several years and for his success in positioning the company as a leader in the Packet Optical Networking industry. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
