At its annual general meeting, the European Photonics Industry Consortium has recognized Kęstutis Jasiūnas with the EPIC Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions and leadership in the laser industry. Jasiūnas, the chairman of the board of Ekspla, has led the company to become a major player in the global market for scientific picosecond lasers. The recipient of the EPIC CEO Award 2023 is Håkan Karlsson, the head of the photonics division at Hübner Group and CEO of Cobolt. The award recognizes Karlsson’s outstanding leadership and contributions to the photonics industry.

Born in 1959 and a graduate of Vilnius University, Jasiūnas began his career at the Institute of Physics of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences before co-founding Ekspla in 1992. Under his leadership, the company developed and manufactured cutting-edge femtosecond, picosecond, and nanosecond lasers and laser systems for scientific and industrial institutions. The company occupies more than half of the global market for scientific picosecond lasers and is the only manufacturer of SFG spectrometers for studying material surfaces.

Jasiūnasis an active member of the boards and councils of various engineering-technological organizations, including the Lithuanian Engineering-Technological Industry Association LINPRA and the Lithuanian Research Council. He has been awarded numerous honors, including the Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits to Lithuania, the National Progress Award, and various prizes.
Commenting on the award, Jasiūnas said, “I am honored to receive this recognition from EPIC. Ekspla’s success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and I am proud of what we have achieved together. Our goal is to continue to push the boundaries of laser technology and develop innovative solutions for our customers.”

Ekspla, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in November 2022, was founded with the mission of developing and manufacturing picosecond lasers for scientific laboratories. Today, the company has 140 employees, 18.5 million euros in sales revenue, and subsidiaries in the US and China, as well as a global distributor network. Ekspla products have been recognized with numerous Lithuanian and international awards, including the Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation and the Laser Focus World Innovators Gold Award.

Jasiūnas’ leadership and vision have been instrumental in Ekspla’s success, and the company’s continued growth is a testament to his dedication to advancing the field of laser technology.

EPIC honored Håkan Karlsson’s contributions to the photonics industry with the CEO Award 2023. His leadership and vision have driven the growth of Hübner Photonics and helped establish it as a key supplier to manufacturers of analytical instrumentation and research labs in various application areas, including life science, spectroscopy, holography and quantum research.

“I am very honored to receive the EPIC CEO Award,” said Karlsson. “This award is a recognition of the hard work and dedication of the entire Hübner Photonics team. Together, we have built a company that is at the forefront of the photonics industry, and we will continue to supply our customers with unique products that push the boundaries of what is possible.”

EPIC director general Carlos Lee commented, “Håkan Karlsson is a role model for the photonics community, his strong background promises long leadership and inspiration for others. His achievements with Cobolt AB and HÜBNER Photonics demonstrate his exceptional management skills, business acumen, and technical expertise. We are thrilled to present him with our CEO Award 2023 and look forward to his continued contributions to our industry.”

With a PhD from KTH Stockholm, Karlsson has been a driving force in the field of compact single-frequency lasers for advanced analytical instrumentation. He co-founded Cobolt AB in 2000, as the first company to bring diode-pumped lasers using periodically-poled nonlinear optical materials to the market. Under his leadership, Cobolt AB developed from a venture backed start-up to a fast-growing profitable laser manufacturer, recognized for its supply of reliable and very robust high performance lasers thanks to a unique manufacturing method.

After selling Cobolt AB to the Hübner Group in 2015, Karlsson continued to lead the photonics division, which now spans five sites worldwide and offers a range of technologies and products. These include single frequency lasers, laser combiners, ultrashort femtosecond lasers, and the unique and award-winning C-WAVE tunable single-frequency laser.