Luminar Attracts Former Nvidia, Tesla, Apple and Tier 1 Executives

Rhea-AI Summary

Luminar announces new leadership appointments to enhance its technical capabilities in automotive lidar technology. Taner Ozcelik, former founder of Nvidia's automotive division, joins as executive VP and GM, overseeing product development and R&D. CJ Moore, previously of Tesla and Apple, will lead Luminar's software program. These additions come as Luminar aims to accelerate execution following almost a dozen commercial wins. The firm is focused on advanced safety and autonomous solutions, leveraging its partnerships with major automotive OEMs.

Positive

• Taner Ozcelik joins Luminar as executive VP, bringing extensive experience from Nvidia's automotive division.
• CJ Moore, formerly of Tesla, will lead software development, enhancing Luminar's capabilities in advanced safety and autonomy.
• Succession of senior hires signals strong organizational development and strategic focus.

Negative

• None.

Strengthens Luminar’s Leadership with Top Tech and Auto Industry Leaders

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Luminar (Nasdaq: LAZR), the global leader in automotive lidar hardware and software technology, announced several new additions to its technical leadership. Taner Ozcelik, the founder of Nvidia’s automotive business, joins Luminar as executive vice president and general manager to oversee product development, R&D, program management, and Luminar’s semiconductor subsidiaries. CJ Moore, who served as director of Autopilot software at Tesla and most recently a director of autonomous systems at Apple, is joining Luminar to lead its software program and realize its vision for next-generation safety and autonomy.

“With industry-defining technology and now nearly a dozen major commercial wins in hand, Luminar is ready for its next phase of leadership as we focus all-in on execution,” said Luminar Founder and CEO, Austin Russell. “We’re attracting the best leaders in the world in their fields to execute our vision and deliver on the future of transportation.”

Taner Ozcelik (Ph.D.) joins as executive vice president and general manager. He is responsible for R&D, product development, program management, IT, platform partnerships, and Luminar’s semiconductor subsidiaries. Prior to Luminar, he founded Nvidia’s automotive business and scaled it over the course of a decade to a multi-hundred million dollar revenue business. Luminar is the long-range lidar for NVIDIA’s DRIVE Hyperion autonomous vehicle platform. He most recently served as senior vice president and general manager at ON Semiconductor Corporation, where he transformed the intelligent sensing business and led it to become the worldwide camera market leader in automotive and robotics with approximately one billion dollars in revenue. Ozcelik is a hard-charging, commercially savvy, technically deep general manager with proven experience delivering complex technology solutions to automotive OEMs and consumers.

CJ Moore joins as vice president of software. Moore will lead Luminar’s global software development team, and will be instrumental in advancing Sentinel, Luminar’s full-stack advanced safety and autonomous solution. CJ previously served as a director of development of Tesla’s autopilot software with seven years at the company, and most recently as a director of autonomous systems at Apple. He brings an intense “build and ship” mentality and deep experience in embedded software and systems engineering to Luminar.

These new executives join a string of impressive, senior technical hires at Luminar spanning manufacturing, business development, engineering and IP. Luminar has also welcomed the following executives:

• Jackie Chen (Ph.D) has joined as head of China: Chen is responsible for driving the expansion of Luminar’s business in China. Prior to Luminar, Chen served as President at Harman International, China, a leading Tier 1 automotive supplier and lifestyle solution provider for professional consumer audio products, where he led the business to one billion in revenue. Prior to that, he served as CTO and Automotive Division head at Schaeffler Group in China and Asia Pacific, a leading global supplier to the automotive and industrial sectors.

• Rimjhim Dasgupta has joined as chief of staff to EVP & GM and vice president of program management: Dasgupta brings extensive engineering program management experience, leading teams from concept to production. Most recently, she served as a chief of staff in Intel’s Emerging Growth and Incubation Group, including managing its silicon engineering team for lidar and radar. Prior to that, she held senior operational and technical program management roles at Synaptics, Apple and AMD.

• Jared Jacobs has joined as vice president and head of manufacturing operations: Jacobs is responsible for Luminar’s global manufacturing operations and the launch into series production with its partners. Prior to Luminar, he served as senior vice president and general manager of global electronics at ZF Group, which supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. Jacobs brings experience leading a multi-billion global P&L, responsibility for safety, advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), and chassis electronic systems. His global leadership of ZF manufacturing operations will be instrumental as Luminar scales its contract manufacturing operations at Fabrinet in Thailand and Celestica in Mexico.

• Anders Grunnet-Jepsen (Ph.D.) has joined as head of advanced development: Grunnet-Jepsen joined Luminar after serving as the chief technology officer for Intel’s RealSense Group, developing and producing lidar and 3D camera systems. Having been a CTO and founder, Dr. Grunnet-Jepsen brings experience building and leading high-performing teams developing and scaling cutting edge technology. At Luminar, he is driving the development of next generation lidar and related technologies in addition to advanced manufacturing technologies.

• Chris Lubeck (Ph.D.), has joined as head of intellectual property: Lubeck joined Luminar to lead its IP efforts and strategy, enabled by the largest lidar patent portfolio of its kind in the industry. Prior to Luminar, Chris served as the chief IP counsel at Tesla, and well as a similar role at ServiceNow. Chris also served as counsel to Apple during the smartphone patent wars of the last decade. Chris’ leadership will enable the company to vigorously defend its intellectual property rights and leadership in the industry.

About Luminar

Luminar is a global automotive technology company ushering in a new era of vehicle safety and autonomy. For the past decade, Luminar has built an advanced hardware and software platform to enable its more than 50 industry partners, including the majority of global automotive OEMs. From Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz for consumer vehicles and Daimler Trucks for commercial trucks, to tech partners NVIDIA and Intel’s Mobileye, Luminar is poised to be the first automotive technology company to enable next-generation safety and autonomous capabilities for production vehicles. For more information please visit www.luminartech.com.

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Media Relations:

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Investor Relations:

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Source: Luminar

FAQ

Who are the new leaders joining Luminar?

Taner Ozcelik and CJ Moore are recent additions to Luminar's leadership team.

What roles have Taner Ozcelik and CJ Moore taken at Luminar?

Taner Ozcelik is the executive VP and GM, while CJ Moore is the VP of software.

What is Luminar's focus following the new leadership appointments?

Luminar is focused on accelerating execution in advanced safety and autonomous solutions.

What previous experience do Luminar's new appointments have?

Taner Ozcelik founded Nvidia's automotive business, and CJ Moore has significant experience in Tesla's autopilot software.

How many commercial wins has Luminar achieved recently?

Luminar has nearly a dozen major commercial wins.