Edinburgh laser specialist hones in on international clients with new hires

An Edinburgh laser firm has announced a raft of key hires to strengthen its commercial and operational activities as it targets global expansion.

Chromacity recruits: Kerr Johnson, Melissa Crahan and Michael Dalgleish. Picture: Peter Dibdin

Chromacity, a Heriot-Watt University spin-out specialising in ultrafast lasers, has appointed four senior recruits.

Bill Handyside joins as head of manufacturing and Kerr Johnson as senior research and development engineer, while the company’s commercial team will be bolstered by finance and operations manager Melissa Crahan and marketing and communications manager Michael Dalgleish.

This comes after Chromacity recently secured partnerships in Japan and China, and as the start-up prepares to install its first system in Australasia.

Bill Handyside joins Chromacity as head of manufacturing. Picture: Peter Dibdin

Chromacity designs, manufactures and sells ultrafast lasers with a range of applications including microscopy, spectroscopy and the development of quantum technologies. The company, which announced its involvement in a “ground-breaking” laser development project with Heriot-Watt earlier this year, also said it is preparing for its first venture capital investment in 2020.

Chief executive Shahida Imani said: “Things are moving quickly for Chromacity on many fronts and finding the right people was absolutely critical to maintaining our momentum. I’m thrilled with the appointments we’ve made in response to the rapid growth we’re continuing to experience globally.

“Our new recruits are settling in well and they share Chromacity’s ambition to push boundaries and revolutionise the laser industry.”

In October the start-up appointed technology sector veteran Ian Stevens, who previously held top positions at Scottish businesses Touch Bionics, Mpathy Medical and BioFilm, as its non-executive chairman.