Changes in leadership at JDS Uniphase

17 Jun 2002

JDS Uniphase Corporation (Nasdaq: JDSU and TSE:JDU) has announced the retirement of Kevin Kalkhoven as Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and from the Board of Directors of the Company and the appointment of Jozef Straus as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Straus will also remain Co-Chairman. Mr. Kalkhoven will remain with the Company as an advisor on strategic matters through the end of its fiscal 2001.

Straus has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of JDS Uniphase since the company was formed by the merger of JDS FITEL Inc. and Uniphase Corporation on July 6, 1999. He also served with Mr. Kalkhoven as Co-Chairman of the Company. Straus co-founded JDS FITEL in 1981 and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer from 1993 until the merger with Uniphase.

Charles J. Abbe has been appointed President and Chief Operating Officer. Abbe, the former Chief Executive Officer of Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc., which JDS Uniphase acquired in February of this year, had been the company's Senior Operating Officer responsible for its operations around the world.

"Kevin has been a major force in our becoming what we are today, and our employees and stockholders owe Kevin a real debt of gratitude," said Straus. "His vision and energy have been instrumental in the development of JDS Uniphase into an industry leader. While we will miss having Kevin as our CEO, we are more excited than ever about our opportunities and we will continue to build on the forward-looking strategies that have served us so well." Kalkhoven joined Uniphase Corporation in 1992 as President and CEO and oversaw its transformation from a privately-held manufacturer of industrial lasers into a publicly-held global supplier of components and modules for fiberoptic telecommunications networks and a member of the NASDAQ 100. During his tenure, the company's annual sales rate increased from $23 million in fiscal 1991 to the $394 million reported for the quarter ended March 31, 2000.