Our shared vision

Lawton W. Fitt is currently independent chair of Ciena's board of directors. She has served as a director of Ciena since November 2000, and as chair of Ciena’s audit committee from October 2004 to the end of December 2024. From October 2002 to March 2005, Ms. Fitt served as Director of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. From 1979 to October 2002, Ms. Fitt was an investment banker with Goldman Sachs & Co., where she was a partner from 1994, and a managing director from 1996 to October 2002. Ms. Fitt holds a bachelor of arts degree from Brown University and a M.B.A. degree from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. Ms. Fitt also serves on the board of directors of The Carlyle Group, L.P. and The Progressive Corporation, and previously of Thomson Reuters.

Hassan M. Ahmed, Ph.D., has served as a Director of Ciena since June 2020. Dr. Ahmed most recently served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Affirmed Networks, which was acquired by Microsoft in April 2020.

Before founding Affirmed Networks in 2010, he was a senior advisor at Charles River Ventures. From 1998 to 2008, Dr. Ahmed served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sonus Networks. Prior to that time, he served in various executive roles at Ascend Communications, Cascade Communications and Analog Devices. He also served as President and founder of WaveAccess, and founded and served as director of the VLSI Systems Group of Motorola Codex. Dr. Ahmed previously served as Associate Professor of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering and Associate Professor of Finance at Boston University. Dr. Ahmed holds a BSEE and MSAE from Carleton University and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Dr. Ahmed holds a BSEE and MSAE from Carleton University and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Patrick T. Gallagher joined Ciena as a Director in May 2009. Mr. Gallagher chairs Ciena’s Governance and Nominations Committee of the Board of Directors. From January 2008 until February 2009, Mr. Gallagher was Chairman of Macro 4 plc, a global software solutions company, and from May 2006 until March 2008, served as Vice Chairman of Golden Telecom Inc., a leading facilities-based provider of integrated communications in Russia and the CIS. From 2003 until 2005, Mr. Gallagher was Executive Vice Chairman and served as Chief Executive Officer of FLAG Telecom Group and, prior to that role, held various senior management positions at British Telecom. Mr. Gallagher also serves on the board of directors of Harmonic Inc. and Sollers JSC. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, with honors, from Warwick University.

Mr. T. Michael Nevens joined Ciena as a Director in February 2014. Since 2006, Mr. Nevens has served as senior adviser to Permira Advisers, LLC, an international private equity fund. From 1980 to 2002, Mr. Nevens held various leadership positions at McKinsey & Co., most recently as a director (senior partner) and as managing partner of the firm’s Global Technology Practice. He also served on the board of the McKinsey Global Institute, which conducts research on economic and policy issues. Mr. Nevens received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science in Industrial Administration from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, where he was designated a Krannert Scholar. Mr. Nevens is a member of the Advisory Council of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, where he has been an adjunct professor of Corporate Governance and Strategy. Mr. Nevens also serves on the board of directors of NetApp, Inc. and Altera Corporation.

Mary G. Puma joined Ciena’s Board of Directors in August 2023. Ms. Puma, a highly respected industry leader with a wealth of experience in supply chain with electronics and semiconductors, previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Axcelis Technologies, Inc., from January 2002 to May 2023, as President and Chief Operating Officer from July 2000 to January 2002, and as Chairperson of the Board from 2005 to 2015. In 1998, she became General Manager and Vice President of the company’s predecessor, the Implant Systems Division of Eaton Corporation. Prior to joining Eaton in 1996, Ms. Puma spent 15 years in various marketing and general management positions at General Electric.

Ms. Puma is also a director of Nordson Corporation and SMART Global Holdings and, since December 2022, has been Chairperson of the Board of SEMI, a global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chain for the micro- and nano-electronics industries.

Ms. Puma holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Tufts University and a Master of Science degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

When it comes to business, Gary Smith believes there’s a tendency to over-complicate. Success and longevity of a company comes down to one thing: people.

Some are surprised to hear that claim from the president and CEO of a technology company that leverages its technology leadership and investment capacity to offer the most compelling portfolio in the market, and the most credible and robust roadmap for forward development.

“People ask, isn’t it really about the technology? And I say, “well, guess what? Who makes the technology, who keeps you at the front end of it? And the answer is it’s the people.”

Gary’s elevation to CEO coincided with the global telecommunications industry downturn in 2001. By sticking to the company’s “people-first, best-of-breed technology” core values, he helped transform Ciena from a niche business into a diversified global industry leader.

Back then, he says, “our competitors were all massive, no one thought we could compete. But we pursued a very different, very focused, long-term strategy to become the best in the world at what we do.”

Of his staff, he expects what you’d think: Tenacity. Honesty. Drive. And one more thing: Humanity.

“I always look for collaborative people, people who are willing to listen to opinions that are different from their own,” he says. “Part of my job is to provide a platform, so people are comfortable speaking up if they have a different point of view.”

Gary, who comes from a sales background, holds himself to the same standards. “I’m surrounded by people way smarter than me; we’ve got more PhDs around than you can shake a stick at,” he says. “The value I bring is not always on the technology side, but more often on relationships.”

The son of factory workers, Gary was raised in the industrial city of Birmingham, England, where rugby and photography were his passions. He put off college and ventured to London on his own at age 16, where he worked as a photographer and a bartender before taking a job selling telephone systems that kicked off his career in connectivity. Later, he earned an MBA from Ashridge Management College in the U.K.

Before taking the helm as CEO, Gary was Ciena’s chief operating officer and head of worldwide sales. Previously he headed sales and marketing at Intelsat and held global senior executive roles in several pioneering European communications companies, including Cray Communications, Inc. and Case Communications Group.

Gary currently serves on the Board of Directors at Planet Labs PBC, a leading provider of global, daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions. He also regularly participates in initiatives with the Center for Corporate Innovation.

Appointed by Barack Obama, Smith served on the President’s National Security Telecommunication Advisory Committee (NSTAC) from 2011 to 2023. He previously served on the Boards of Directors for Commvault and Avaya, and was the Chair of the Wake Forest Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Council.

Gary, whose work takes him around the world, lists New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Italy among his favorite destinations.

At home, he enjoys downtime with family, friends, and his dogs. A fitness fanatic, Gary has competed in the worldwide games created by CrossFit. And, in recent years, he’s dusted off his camera and lifelong membership to the Royal Photographic Society, having been honored with multiple awards for his black and white and mostly minimalist imagery.

Going forward, he says he’s determined to keep Ciena laser-focused on its long-term goals by keeping ambitions high and steering far from complacency. As the longest-tenured CEO in the telecom industry, Gary has made it clear that complacency is not a word he associates with.

“We have great perseverance, and we very much have a ‘challenge and disrupt’ mentality,” he says. “That’s what will allow us to grow the business the right way for all stakeholders.”

Bruce Claflin has served as a Director of Ciena since August 2006. Mr. Claflin served as President and Chief Executive Officer of 3Com Corporation, a provider of enterprise and small-business networking solutions, from January 2001 until his retirement in February 2006. Mr. Claflin joined 3Com as President and Chief Operating Officer in August 1998. Prior to 3Com, Mr. Claflin served as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sales and Marketing, for Digital Equipment Corporation. Mr. Claflin also worked for 22 years at IBM, where he held various sales, marketing and management positions, including general manager of IBM PC Company’s worldwide research and development, product and brand management, as well as president of IBM PC Company Americas. Mr. Claflin received his bachelor of arts degree in political science from Pennsylvania State University.

Devinder Kumar has served as a Director of Ciena since August 2019. He chairs Ciena’s Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Mr. Kumar also serves on the board of directors of Sandisk Corporation. Mr. Kumar was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of AMD from January 2013 to January 2023 and was responsible for the global finance organization as well as global corporate services and facilities. He also served as Treasurer from April 2015 until January 2023. Mr. Kumar retired in April 2023.

Mr. Kumar joined AMD in 1984 and progressed through several leadership positions in corporate accounting and corporate finance, including serving as corporate controller and assistant treasurer. He spent 10 years in Asia as financial controller for AMD Penang and group regional finance director for AMD’s Manufacturing Services Group across Singapore, Thailand, China, and Malaysia.

Kumar has a bachelor’s degree in ecology from the University of Malaya, Malaysia; a master’s degree in biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara; and an MBA in finance from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Joanne B. Olsen has served as a Director of Ciena since October 2018. Ms. Olsen chairs Ciena’s Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. Ms. Olsen also serves on the board of directors of Teradata Corporation. From November 2016 to August 2017, Ms. Olsen was the Executive Vice President of Oracle Global Cloud Services and Support. From September 2010 to October 2016, Ms. Olsen served as Senior Vice President and leader of Oracle's applications sales, alliances, and consulting organizations in North America. Previously, during a 31-year tenure at IBM, Ms. Olsen held various executive management positions in sales, global financing and hardware. She began her career with Oracle as a systems analyst in 1979. Ms. Olsen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics, Economics and Accounting from East Stroudsburg University.