Ocean Optics Appoints New President

Ocean Optics has appointed Richard Pollard to the position of company President. Pollard’s promotion follows the move of former President Kevin Chittim to positions on the company’s board and as Divisional Acquisition Executive for Ocean Optics’ parent company Halma plc.

Pollard joined Ocean Optics in 2006 as Vice President, Operations, and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2008, applying his international engineering and management skills to lead global sales activities and new product introductions.

His career has spanned a wide range of industries including electronics (Viasystems Tyneside Ltd., Tyne & Wear, UK), automotive (Ford Motor Company, Essex, UK), and medical products (Keeler Ltd, Berkshire, UK). He joined Ocean Optics from sister Halma group company, Radcom Technologies (Hampshire, UK).
A professional Chartered Engineer, Pollard holds an MBA from Open University (Buckinghamshire, UK) and a BEng degree from Brunel University (Middlesex, UK).

“Halma looks towards growth in all of our business and especially in Photonics,” commented Robert Randelman, Divisional Chief Executive of Halma’s photonics businesses. “Kevin’s broad market experience will be invaluable in our continued search and selection of the right acquisition targets. Richard’s tenure with Ocean Optics, and experience in other industries make him a perfect choice to carry on the Ocean Optics heritage of innovation and customer focus while bringing new energy to its future growth.”