LASE Appoints Dmitri Nikitin Executive Chairman
Key Highlights
- ➤Dmitri Nikitin appointed Executive Chairman and principal executive officer of Laser Photonics (LASE)
- ➤Wayne Tupuola resigned as CEO for medical reasons effective October 13, 2026
- ➤Nikitin’s priorities include advancing the Laser Shield Anti-Drone platform
- ➤Company will not currently appoint a separate Chief Executive Officer
Expert Statements
Dmitri Nikitin, Executive Chairman and principal executive officer of Laser Photonics
“We see an opportunity to apply our laser technology experience to solving two important challenges: defending against emerging drone threats with affordable and easily deployable directed energy laser systems and, modernizing the U.S. military's domestic manufacturing capacity with our existing industrial laser platforms.”
Qing Lu, Chair of the Audit Committee of Laser Photonics
“We are pleased Mr. Nikitin accepted our proposal to step in and lead our enterprise. His experience developing and scaling applications for large international markets is exactly what our organization needs for the future.”
ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / October 16, 2026 / Laser Photonics Corporation (NASDAQ:LASE), an emerging directed energy and laser technology platform developing applications for defense, semiconductor, pharmaceutical and industrial markets (the "Company"), today announced the appointment of Dmitri Nikitin, the Company's founder, as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors and principal executive officer responsible for leading the Company, with the authority and responsibilities customarily associated with the Chief Executive Officer role.
The appointment supports the Company's strategy to build on its industrial laser business and expand into higher-value applications in defense and semiconductor markets. Dmitri Nikitin brings more than 35 years of experience in laser technology innovation. He holds an engineering degree in industrial electronics and quantum mechanics from Moscow Power Engineering University and a PHD in Ministry of Electronics of USSR.
Get started
Create a free account to read the full story.