Ottawa, Canada and San Jose, California – June 12, 2001 – JDS Uniphase Corporation (Nasdaq: JDSU and TSE: JDU) today announced the retirement of Charles J. Abbe, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company's WDM, Switching and Thin Film Business Group. The Company also announced the appointment of Gregory P. Dougherty as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of JDS Uniphase.
Jay Abbe is retiring from the Company as well as from the JDS Uniphase Board of Directors. Abbe was Chief Executive Officer of Optical Coating Laboratories, Inc. (OCLI) prior to its merger with JDS Uniphase in February 2000 and served as President and Chief Operating Officer of JDS Uniphase prior to the merger with SDL, Inc. in February 2001. “Jay Abbe has made major contributions to the integration and organization of JDS Uniphase following a period of rapid growth and multiple acquisitions,” stated Jozef Straus, Co-chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “He has helped bring us together, while creating greater effectiveness and efficiency in our global operations. The whole of the JDS Uniphase family wishes Jay well in his retirement."
Greg Dougherty has assumed responsibility for all day-to-day operations of JDS Uniphase. He had been serving as Chief Operating Officer of the Company’s Amplification and Transmission Business Group and had served as Chief Operating Officer of SDL, Inc. during that company’s rapid growth and its merger with JDS Uniphase in February of this year.
"Greg is an executive who has demonstrated great ability at both SDL and JDS Uniphase. We look forward to his leadership as we focus and prepare the Company for future growth,” said Jozef Straus in welcoming Greg to his expanded responsibilities in the Company. "With Jay’s retirement, our realignment and consolidation strategy will continue with full force under the proven management of Greg Dougherty."
The Company also announced other changes to its top management structure. Jozef Straus, Co-chairman and CEO, will also assume the additional title of President. Don Scifres will assume responsibility for driving the strategic focus and technical direction of the Company with the added role of Chief Strategy Officer, in addition to being Co-chairman of the Board of Directors. In that capacity, he will lead the Company’s mergers, acquisitions and business development activities, as well as the technology, human resources and legal functions. Reporting to Jozef Straus will be Messrs. Dougherty and Scifres, along with Anthony R. Muller, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Scott Parker, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing.
JDS Uniphase is a high-technology company that designs, develops, manufactures and distributes a comprehensive range of products for the growing fiberoptic communications market. These products are deployed by system manufacturers worldwide to develop advanced optical networks for the telecommunications and cable television industries. JDS Uniphase Corporation is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol JDSU and the exchangeable shares of JDS Uniphase Canada Ltd. are traded on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol JDU. More information on JDS Uniphase is available at www.jdsuniphase.com.
The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to any statement or implication concerning the Company’s future growth and the success and benefits to the Company of the Company’s realignment and consolidation strategy. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that, if realized, could materially impair the Company's results of operations, business and financial condition. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, factors discussed from time to time in reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and, in particular, the risks and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2001. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or qualify any of the statements made herein.