Cannon promotes Duperray to COO

ITT Industries, Cannon announced that Olivier Duperray has been promoted to the key role of senior vice president and chief operating officer-worldwide. Duperray had been serving as president of Cannon’s global switch products business.

In his new role, Duperray will report directly to Gerry Gendron, senior vice president of ITT Industries and president, Cannon.

Duperray has been with ITT since 1983 and has held positions of increasing worldwide responsibility. He earned a degree in both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the Paris University of Electrical Engineering (ESME) and a master of business administration from the Paris Institute of Business Administration (IAE-Paris).

In addition to Duperray’s appointment, Gendron announced several other changes to Cannon’s management team:

• Tim Ristoff has been named Vice President, Cannon and President of Switches. He had been president of ITT Industries’ Jabsco business, which is part of the corporation’s motion and flow control segment.

• Mike Kuchenbrod has been promoted to vice president, Cannon and general manager for the connector product lines and sites that serve the industrial, military/aerospace, commercial aviation and transportation markets worldwide.

• Darrell Wilk has been promoted to vice president, Cannon and worldwide director of sales for connectors and switches.

Openwave Systems fills executive seats

Openwave Systems Inc. announced two executive appointments. Steve Peters has been promoted to senior vice president, chief administrative and legal officer and Josh Pace has been promoted to vice president of finance and chief accounting officer.

Peters will continue to report to Don Listwin, president and CEO, and will be responsible for leading the legal and finance organizations. Since 1999, Peters has served as vice president and general counsel of Openwave and has served as secretary since 2000.

Pace, who will report to Peters and work with Listwin, will expand his responsibilities to include financial planning, accounting, treasury, and investor relations. He has served as vice president of finance at Openwave since May 2001.

Peters and Pace will take over the financial responsibilities previously performed by CFO Alan Black. Black, who was appointed to managing director of Europe, Middle East and Africa, will work with Peters and Pace to shift his financial responsibilities through the end of the fiscal year.

Before joining Openwave, Peters served as vice president of business development at Baan Co., a division of Invensys. Prior to joining Baan, Peters spent nine years at Adobe Systems Inc.

Prior to Openwave, Pace held several finance positions, including senior vice president and CFO of M2Networx, vice president of finance at Covad Communications and executive director of finance at US West Communications.

Nextel names VP

Nextel Communications Inc. named Kevin N. Flynn vice president of sales for Illinois, northwest Indiana and Wisconsin.

Flynn, who will be based in Nextel’s Itasca office, was area vice president for the Minnesota and Wisconsin markets.

Electro Radiation appoints business development director

In his new position of Director of Business Development for Electro-Radiation Inc., John Thoma’s responsibilities include all sales and marketing activities which will drive the profitable growth of ERI’s automatic satellite interference cancellation technology business, both in the U.S. and international markets.

To this position, John brings more than 20 years of experience in business development, strategic planning, market and product management, and engineering roles in broadband and wireless communications in markets such as cable television and telecommunications.

Prior to joining ERI, Thoma held roles in product management, business development, and program management at Axonlink, OnePath Networks, Tellium Inc. and ADC Broadband Communications.

His experience also includes stints at NYNEX Mobile Communications Company, managing a CDMA program, and Westinghouse Norden Systems and Hughes Aircraft Co., where he managed various radar, electronic warfare, and commercial programs with total value of more than $125 million. He began his career at Bell Laboratories, where he supported videoconferencing and cordless telephone product developments.

Thoma holds a BEE with highest honors and MEE degrees from Manhattan College, and an MBA with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Bitfone names Asian VP

Bitfone Corp. announced that it has appointed Bret Crochet as vice president of Asia Pacific sales operations. Crochet is responsible for Bitfone’s sales teams, partners, and channels focusing on the advanced and rapidly growing markets in Japan, Korea, China, and South East Asia.

With more than 12 years of experience, Crochet served as senior director of worldwide sales and business development for PacketVideo Corporation. At PacketVideo, Crochet launched sales operations in Japan, Korea and South East Asia, and was responsible for multiple commercial agreements with global wireless companies.

Crochet was also the Asia Pacific regional director at Hillcast Technologies where he launched and managed the company’s Asia Pacific operations.

Crochet also has held executive sales positions at Cadence Design Systems, Samsung Semiconductor and Wyle Electronics.

Crochet earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Orleans.

Blades named EMEA sales director

Radio Waves Inc. has appointed Steve Blades as their new Director of EMEA Sales. Blades will lead Radio Waves’ sales and customer support team in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

He will be working out of the United Kingdom, where Radio Waves’ European manufacturing center is located.

Global Crossing CEO adds to workload

Global Crossing Ltd. said on Saturday its chief executive, John Legere, will assume additional duties as the bankrupt telecommunications company’s chief operating officer resigns.

Operations, sales and product management divisions now will report directly to Legere, eliminating the need for a separate operational leader.

Global Crossing officials explained that Chief Operating Officer Carl Grivner will leave the company to pursue other opportunities.

Pentagon’s spectrum chief quits

Steven Price, the Pentagon spectrum czar responsible for strengthening military wireless policy and negotiating complex deals with industry over the rights to the airwaves, is leaving the Department of Defense.

Linton Wells, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for command, control, communications and intelligence, will replace Price in the interim.

After joining the Pentagon in November 2001, Price became involved in high-profile clashes with industry over spectrum issues involving third-generation mobile phone technology, ultra-wide band and Wi-Fi technology deployment in the United States.

LogiSense names new president

LogiSense Corp. has announced the appointment of Jim Crocker to the position of president, effective immediately.

According to a statement released by the company, “Crocker’s mandate is to develop and lead the operational implementation of the company’s growth strategy.”

Crocker began his career in the consumer packaged goods business before becoming a consultant to a number of well-known companies in the consumer, soft drink, retail, gasoline and coated paper industries, among others. In his previous position, as president and CEO of Virtek Vision, Crocker turned the company around and increased revenues from less than $6 million to greater than $30 million by refocusing the company’s resources and introducing new product lines based on the company’s technology.

Pac-West names director

Pac-West Telecomm Inc. announced that its board of directors has appointed Tom Munro as a director.

Munro has more than 22 years of financial and technology experience. In January he retired from Wireless Facilities Inc. He served as CFO from 1997 to 2000, and president from September of 2000 until his retirement. Prior to WFI, Munro was founder and CEO of @Market, a retail sporting goods website. From 1994 to 1995, he served as CFO for Precision Digital Images, Inc. From 1981 to 1994, he was employed with MetLife Capital Corporation, where he served as CFO and a Director on the company’s Board from 1992 to 1994.

Munro holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from the University of Washington. He has co-authored two college level text books on computer programming.