Richard Pierce

President & CEO

Dick Pierce is a technology start-up company executive with experience in growing companies from early stage to significant revenue with multiple successful exits. He has direct experience in software, Internet search, enterprise, mobile, networking, infrastructure and semiconductor companies. Pierce comes to Raydiance after most recently serving as CEO of Orbital Data Corporation which offers solutions to speed the delivery of software applications over wide area networks (WANs). Prior to heading up Orbital, Pierce was Executive Vice President and COO of Inktomi Corporation, a search and software infrastructure provider. During Pierce’s tenure, Inktomi’s revenues grew to over $250 million in five years, culminating in a public offering in 1998. Pierce began his career at Intel, where he spent 15 years in a variety of executive roles for microprocessors, microcontrollers and software.

William R. Beyer

COO/CFO

William (Bill) Beyer serves as the company’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer. In the latter capacity, he leads the company’s financial initiatives to ensure growth and fiscal stability. Bill brings to Raydiance more than 20 years of blue-chip, professional experience with a deep history in fund raising, mergers and acquisitions, business development and operations. He has served as CFO of multiple emerging technology companies. Mr. Beyer has closed more than $265 million in private equity financings and has conducted commerce in over 20 countries worldwide. Recently, Bill served as CFO and treasurer of Bitfone Corporation driving the company to profitability and to a successful acquisition by Hewlett-Packard. In addition to his tenure with Bitfone, he has served as CFO of Vollee, Inc. and Mahi Networks. Prior to his roles as CFO, he served as Regional Vice President of International Business Development and Finance of Advanced Fibre Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: AFCI, now TLAB). He joined AFC before the Company’s Initial Public Offering and actively participated in the offering process. Mr. Beyer is a C.P.A., formerly with Arthur Andersen LLP. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree in Accounting from Santa Clara University.

Dr. Michael M. Mielke

Chief Scientist

Dr. Mielke is Chief Scientist at Raydiance.  He has more than ten years experience in the field of ultrashort pulse (USP) lasers spanning fundamental research through commercial product development and applications.  He joined Raydiance in its infancy and helped lead the company from incubator stage to market leader in cutting-edge USP lasers.  Dr. Mielke earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Florida and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Optics from CREOL at the University of Central Florida, where he garnered numerous research and leadership accolades including the Grand Prize in the Optical Society of America/New Focus Award competition.

Philippe Brak

Senior Vice President, Sales

Philippe Brak comes to Raydiance from GSI Group, where he was vice president and general manager of the laser group. Brak has over 20 years of senior executive experience in the optical and microelectronics manufacturing industries. Prior to his work at GSI, Brak served as President and CEO of NP Photonics. He played an instrumental role in transforming NP Photonics from a technology-driven organization into a customer/market-oriented organization. Under his tenure, the company became cash flow positive. Brak was previously Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Gigabit Optics, an integrated photonics company, where he brought customer focus to the forefront, resulting in over 40 customers and more than 20 design wins.

Earlier in his career, Brak served as Vice President and General Manager of the OEM Business Unit of Spectra-Physics, Inc. During the course of his 16-year tenure there, he excelled in numerous roles, including Director of Sales & Service for North America, OEM Sales Manager Europe, Sales & Service Manager Benelux, and Sales Engineer. Brak brings strong international expertise to Raydiance and is fluent in four languages. He has a proven track record of growing profitable businesses in a wide variety of markets.

Tim Flood

Vice President, Engineering

Tim Flood joined Raydiance with 20 years of product development knowledge in software and hardware systems development. Tim has a broad base of experience in high-reliability and fault tolerant applications for information systems, telecommunications technologies such as IP/MPLS/Multi-Service core routing and G/BPON, xDSL broadband, and voice-access products. His technology and management experience includes hardware and software design, product architecture, product line management, and professional services staff. Tim has a proven track record in managing complex engineering projects to successful market introduction and continual development.

Prior to joining Raydiance, Tim held engineering and executive management positions with Tellabs (NASDAQ: TLAB), Advanced Fibre Communications (NASDAQ: AFCI), Red Condor, and Mahi Networks. Most recently, Tim was Vice President of Engineering and Operations at Red Condor. At AFC, Tim held the role of Director of System Software, joining the company during its early product development phase. AFC grew to more than 300 people and a market capitalization of $6 billion. Tim received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic & Electrical Engineering from California State University, Chico.

Dr. Steve P. Sapers

Vice President, Operations

Dr. Sapers received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Chemistry from Brandeis University (1984) and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physical Chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder (1989). As a graduate research assistant he studied multi-photon processes in gas phase polyatomic molecules using laser excitation and detection methods. Subsequent post-doctoral work at the University of Toronto and Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories extended these investigations into spectroscopy and molecular dynamics.

Dr. Sapers joined Optical Coating Laboratory (JDSU) in 1992 taking a position managing the R/D analytical laboratory. In this role he developed and deployed advanced tools to study optical thin film coatings in support of both development and manufacturing. Successive leadership roles in engineering and operations management resulted in global division responsibility for multiple high mix and high volume product lines with revenues in excess of $150M per year and over 1400 employees. He supported businesses that ranged from consumer electronics to government programs to critical production supporting the telecom boom. Dr. Sapers left JDSU in 2005, and after a brief tenure with a semiconductor laser company, he joined Raydiance. He is currently the Vice President of Operations, responsible for manufacturing, supply chain, quality and service.