ON Partners Recruits CEO for META Materials
October 31, 2023 – Mike Lynch of ON Partners has recruited Jim Fusaro as the new CEO of Meta Materials in Halifax, Nova Scotia. George Palikaras has been removed as president and CEO and is no longer with the company. “On behalf of the board of directors, it is my pleasure to welcome Jim Fusaro as CEO of Meta Materials,” said Jack Harding, chair of the META board. “He brings a wealth of leadership experience and a proven track record of driving high revenue growth. In his new role, Jim will be responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the company and accelerating its commercial production. We are grateful for George’s hard work, dedication, and valuable contributions during his tenure.”
Mr. Fusaro is a business leader with 35 years of experience in solar, semiconductor, advanced materials, and aerospace. He brings experience leading large change management initiatives and developing and implementing strategies to transform businesses and to drive value.
Mr. Fusaro has led a number of large-scale global businesses, including serving as CEO of Array Technologies, Inc. from 2018 to 2022. During his tenure with Array, he led a return to growth and profitability, took the company public in 2020 in the largest solar IPO of that year. Mr. Fusaro has also held leadership positions at Nanostone Water, Avnet, Honeywell, and Amkor Technology. He served as CEO of Nanostone Water and while at Avnet he was the SVP of IOT business. During his time with Honeywell he served as president, advanced materials, vice president of the Honeywell operating system, and vice president & GM, mechanical subsystems. At Amkor, Mr. Fusaro was executive vice president, assembly & test business, and served in several other global management roles.
META delivers previously unachievable performance across a range of applications, by inventing, designing, developing, and manufacturing sustainable, high-performance, functional materials, components, and systems. The company’s technology platform enables leading global brands to deliver breakthrough products to their customers in consumer electronics, 5G communications, health and wellness, aerospace, automotive, and clean energy.
Past Searches
In May, ON Partners recruited Uzi Sasson as chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Meta Materials. He replaced CFO and COO Ken Rice, who has retired. “We are excited to welcome Uzi to the executive leadership team,” said Mr. Palikaras, former president and CEO of Meta Materials. “He has extensive experience providing strategic financial and operational leadership to companies at various stages, which will prove instrumental in helping us execute on our growth strategy and financial objectives while creating sustainable, long-term value for our shareholders. I would also like to thank Ken Rice for all his contributions, and we wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Mr. Sasson is a seasoned public company financial executive and certified public accountant with more than 30 years of experience building and scaling operations for high-growth multinational manufacturers and semiconductor companies. His expertise includes corporate finance, SEC and regulatory compliance, accounting and tax analysis, international finance, mergers and acquisitions with global OEMs, supply agreements, real estate transactions, investor relations, and talent development.
Related: ON Partners Recruits Chief Accounting Officer for EverCommerce
In July, Mr. Lynch helped to recruit Daniel Eaton as chief legal officer of Meta Materials. “As we stand on the cusp of significant product launches and continue to engage with new partners and suppliers, Dan’s diverse background will offer important strategic support at the executive and board level,” said Mr. Palikaras. “Not only will his expertise facilitate our market penetration, but it will also fortify our competitive edge and safeguard the groundbreaking solutions we have developed over many years.” Mr. Eaton’s background includes tenures at Katena Computing Technologies Inc., Netronome Systems Inc., and Zilog Inc.
With a primary focus on technology, consumer, industrial, and the life science sectors, ON Partners recruits C-level and board talent for public and private companies, as well as venture capital and private equity firms. Founded in 2006, the firm’s consultants work from offices in Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland; Dallas; Menlo Park, CA; Minneapolis. MN; San Francisco; and New York. ON Partners was named one of the fastest growing search firms this year by Hunt Scanlon Media. The firm is now ranked as one of the 20 largest search firms in the nation.
Mr. Lynch has over 20 years experience in the global technology market based in Silicon Valley. He recruits CEO, C-level and board executives in engineering and operationally-driven environments. Mr. Lynch serves traditional sectors that produce physical goods with high technology content (semiconductors, electronic components, capital equipment, additive manufacturing, and higher education / primary research), and sectors that are increasingly turning to cutting edge technologies to drive innovation and differentiation (e.g., renewable energy, autonomous vehicles, aerospace and defense, medical devices). He focuses on public, private, and high-growth companies producing physical assets.
Related: ON Partners Recruits Chief Medical Officer for Sangamo Therapeutics
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
