Optikos Announces Executive Leadership Team Following the Acquisition of Omega Optical

Optikos is strengthening its organization following the acquisition of Omega Optical through a series of targeted leadership appointments. The newly formed executive team spans operations, finance, technology, product management, and commercial strategy and will lead the combined business into its next growth phase.

Since 1982, Optikos has established itself as a key innovator in optics and photonics. With Omega Optical, the company begins a new chapter built on deep technical mastery and disciplined, human-inspired leadership that serves every stakeholder on this journey. The new executive leadership team draws from both legacy organizations, combining each company’s strengths to ensure continuity, quality, and trusted partnership for customers of both companies.

With Frank Hammell as COO, Optikos gains an experienced executive with thirty years of operational leadership and organizational transformation expertise. He began his career at Deloitte, where he specialized in process analysis and operational optimization. This approach led Frank to develop initiatives aimed at rebuilding business processes across multiple organizations. At Optikos, he served as the architect of the company’s transition from a pure engineering firm to a manufacturing-focused business, driving sustained growth and scalability. He now oversees operations across all Optikos and Omega Optical locations, being responsible for executing the integration process and ensuring continuity of quality and delivery for our customers.

Kevin O’Connell brings twenty-five years of leadership experience across manufacturing, distribution, and technology-driven organizations. He joined Omega Optical as CFO in 2024, serving in that role before the acquisition and guiding the company through significant operational change and strategic repositioning. Throughout his career, he has guided companies through acquisitions, transformations, and turnarounds, with a consistent focus on disciplined cash management and durable operational visibility. His presence on the new executive team reflects the deliberate continuity across the combined organization. In this role, he stewards the company’s overall financial strategy, ensuring strategic capital allocation throughout the integration process and sustained investment in customer-facing capabilities.

Lars Sandstroem brings more than thirty years of photonics experience to his role, including senior leadership positions at Gooch & Housego, Edmund Optics, and Thorlabs. He holds five US patents, with further applications pending. At Optikos, he built the commercial organization that delivered 100% growth in 2026. As Chief Technology Officer, he will set the technical direction for the entire enterprise, aligning technology strategy with business objectives and partner goals. This role focuses on overseeing the products, systems, and processes needed to maintain innovation and reliability at scale. Customers of both organizations will benefit from a unified technology roadmap spanning the combined portfolio.

The son of Optikos’ founder Stephen D. Fantone, Dennis Fantone, has been connected to the organization since childhood, witnessing the company’s growth firsthand. He officially joined Optikos in 2016 as an optical engineer, having earned a bachelor’s degree from MIT and a master’s degree in optical engineering from the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics. Since moving into operations in 2020, he has led the company’s ISO 13485 certification efforts, oversaw two building expansions to roughly 50,000 square feet, and doubled production staff. In his new role as Chief Product and Program Officer, Dennis now directs product strategy, portfolio development, and program execution across the combined platform, shaping how the merged capabilities translate into high-performing solutions for customers.

Dr. Todd Jaeger brings twenty-five years of experience across the photonics value stream, from optical materials to automated laser machining systems, with prior positions at Spectra Physics, New Focus, IDEX, SCHOTT, Heraeus, and Coherent. He joined Omega Optical in September 2023 and assumed the role of Chief Revenue Officer there in 2024 prior to the acquisition, overseeing the company’s commercial strategy and customer partnerships. He holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Georgia. As Chief Revenue Officer of the combined organization, he manages the business’s full commercial dimension, including marketing, sales, and customer success. His leadership roles in both legacy organizations uniquely position him to serve the joint customer base, providing partners with continuity through familiar and trusted points of contact.

David Cooper, formerly Chief Executive Officer of Omega Optical, now leads Optikos. He brings more than thirty years of industrial technology leadership experience. David joined Omega Optical in June 2024 as CEO, where he led the company’s “One Omega” growth strategy, leveraging its broad component technology portfolio to deliver mission-critical solutions for OEMs and key customers in life sciences, aerospace and defense, industrial, and semiconductor markets. Before joining Omega, David served as a Senior Operating Partner at Cerberus Capital Management, where he focused on accelerating organic growth, new product development, operational excellence, and customer experience across the firm’s industrials portfolio companies. He previously held executive and commercial leadership positions at APITech (now Spectrum Control), Owens Corning, Honeywell, and Air Products & Chemicals. David holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas.

The Road Ahead

This team embodies decades of experience across every discipline the Optikos business depends on. Combining leaders from both Optikos and Omega Optical, the new executive team reflects the best of both organizations. Under one consolidated leadership, Optikos and Omega Optical are ready to pursue a shared goal: delivering the innovations, quality, and partnership customers expect.