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To: Bob Biersack who wrote (98317)	5/18/2000 2:15:00 PM
From: Frederick Langford	Respond to of 120523

JDS CEO Retires, Wants To Slow Down His Life 12:32 Thursday, May 18, 2000 By Susan Taylor OTTAWA (Reuters) - The charismatic chief executive of JDS Uniphase Corp., a key architect in building the world's No. 1 supplier of parts for fiber-optic telecom equipment, said Thursday he was retiring to pursue a slower pace. Kevin Kalkhoven, 56, announced he was immediately quitting as CEO, co-chairman and director but would remain in a part-time post as a strategic advisor until the close of fiscal 2001. Co-chairman Jozef Straus, 53, was named new CEO and Charles Abbe, former chief executive of recently acquired Optical Coating Laboratory Inc., was appointed president and chief operating officer. Martin Kaplan, a director since 1997, was appointed nonexecutive chairman of the board. Australian-born Kalkhoven, an avid pilot and scuba diver, said he now hopes to help his old company while also investing so he may help the less fortunate. ``I will be helping Jozef, I will be restoring some life to this rather tatty frame that I have, and working on getting some more money by investing and then giving it away,'' said Kalkhoven. ``This has been nine years of extreme, high-intensity activity. It's been a wonderful time -- it's been the pinnacle of my career -- but it also has had a fairly stressful,'' Kalkhoven said. ``Last calendar year, I only spent six full weekends at home without either working or traveling.'' The retirement is voluntary and does not indicate any change of strategy at the company, he said. Nor is the shift related to JDS Uniphase's plan to acquire E-Tek Dynamics Inc., a deal being reviewed by antitrust authorities but on track to close in June, he added. The executive transition comes as JDS embarks on a major push to boost production, which executives, including Kalkhoven, will likely discuss during a road show over the next week and an upcoming analysts' meeting in Ottawa. Manufacturing capacity is almost the sole constraint on JDS sales growth. Thursday, the company said it now expects revenue growth of 80 percent year-over-year versus earlier guidance for analysts of 75 percent. A 20 percent revenue growth rate for the fourth quarter over the third quarter remains intact, said chief financial officer Tony Muller. The company is working to improve its manufacturing processes, boost automation, increase outsourcing, and expand capacity. ``We've talked about the need to increase our output by four times,'' Abbe said. ``I'm certainly sorry to see Kevin leave at this juncture given what he has done, the vision he has, and the leadership he has,'' said Jim Liang, analyst at WR Hambrecht & Co. ``That being said, I'm very bullish on the future prospects of the company given the strategy that's already in place and the new management team that will be in charge.'' Shares in JDS initially slipped on the announcement but rebounded to trade unchanged at C$139 at mid-morning on the Toronto Stock Exchange and at 92-1/2 on Nasdaq. Blistering expansion at JDS Uniphase, which has completed nine acquisitions in 10 months, follows the creation of an entirely new technology sector. JDS Uniphase produces equipment that boosts the capacity and speed of fiber-optic networks, as high-demand Internet users push increasing volumes of voice, data and video traffic over networks. Based in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean and in San Jose, California, JDS Uniphase is the result of a merger between JDS FITEL and Uniphase Corp. in July 1999. globeinvestor.com.