Dr Thomas Kessler - Vice President of European Operations, Edmund Optics in Germany.

Dr Kessler is responsible for all sales and distribution operations of the company in Europe. He has previously worked for Schott, finishing as director of product management, sales, marketing and supply chain for its advanced optics business.

Dr Kessler earned his PhD and Master’s Degrees in Physics from J.W. Goethe-University in Frankfurt/Main.

Benno Oderkerk - Co-founder and Technical Director, Avantes BV in The Netherlands.

Benno Oderkerk is co-founder and shareholder of Avantes, a spectroscopy company formed in the Netherlands in 1994. It now has offices in the US (Broomfield, CO) and China (Beijing). At Avantes he is the technical director for new product development and oversees sales and marketing and activities worldwide.

Benno obtained his master’s degree in Electronic Engineering at the Twente Technical University in Enschede, the Netherlands in March 1988. He worked from April 1987 until December 1988 at the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. Then he started in Munich, Germany at the University of the Bundeswehr in 1989 as a research associate.

From autumn1989 until 1994 he worked as a technical Director at STM Sensor Technology Munich, Germany, before starting Avantes.

Graham Rothon - Managing Director, Pacer International in the UK.

Graham Rothon’s electronics studies paved the way for a career in the optoelectronics and semiconductor industries. After working in sales and marketing of fibre optic products for BT, and gaining similar experience with two smaller optoelectronic companies, he relocated to Finland to take up the post of President of Nokia’s semiconductor division, Micronas. After 4 years with Nokia, Graham joined electroluminescent display supplier Planar Systems as VP/MD. Despite a total of 12 years living in Helsinki, he claims he never mastered the Finnish language!

Upon his return to the UK, Graham joined optoelectronics manufacturer Integrated Photomatrix for 2 years. In 2002 he became MD of Pacer, with the objective of transforming the company from a successful “classic” optoelectronic distributor into a solutions provider offering added value and real technical expertise in optoelectronics and photonics.

Graham is married with two children who join him and his wife on the golf course at weekends and help to walk their two German shepherd dogs.

Alastair Wilson - Director, Photonics Knowledge Transfer Network in the UK.

Alastair has been involved in UK photonics for over 30 years, operating in both the private and public sectors. He started his industry career in Barr and Stroud Ltd subsequently Pilkington Optronics, as a laser physicist and subsequently held positions in project management and marketing.

In 1989 he joined Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s principal economic development agency, and was Head of Optoelectronics for several years. During this time he founded the Scottish Optoelectronics Association and was involved in establishing the Institute of Photonics at the University of Strathclyde. In 2001 he was appointed as Business Development Manager of Compound Semiconductor Technologies Ltd, a foundry for compound semiconductor devices and was a key figure in growing the company’s global customer base.

In December 2006, Alastair was appointed to his current position as Director of the Photonics Knowledge Transfer Network. The Photonics Knowledge Transfer Network, sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board, brings together diverse organisations and provides activities and initiatives that promote the exchange of knowledge and the stimulation of innovation in UK photonics.

Dr. Detlev Wolff - Head of Sales and Marketing, JENOPTIK Laserdiode GmbH in Germany.

Detlev Wolff has been working for JENOPTIK since 1995. After studying physics and gaining a doctorate in the field of laser material processing of semiconductor materials in Jena, he has focussed his career on laser applications, measurement and processing.