Executive Team

Paul Ricci is the Chief Executive Officer of Luminar, bringing over 25 years of leadership experience in the technology sector and a proven track record of driving innovation, transformation, and strategic growth. Prior to joining Luminar, he served as CEO of Qualifacts, a leading provider of electronic health record software, from 2020 to 2023. He has also held advisory roles at Lightspeed Venture Partners and Warburg Pincus, contributing his expertise to high-growth technology companies. 

From 2000 to 2018, Ricci served as Chairman and CEO of Nuance Communications, where he led the company’s evolution into a global leader in voice recognition and conversational AI. Under his leadership, Nuance expanded its presence across healthcare, customer service, and automotive sectors. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership roles at Xerox Corporation, including serving as President of the Desktop Systems division. 

Ricci holds both B.A. and M.A. degrees in Economics from Stanford University and serves on the board of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. His deep experience in scaling complex technology businesses and driving forward-looking innovation supports Luminar’s mission to enable next-generation automotive safety and autonomy. 

Tom Fennimore is the Chief Financial Officer at Luminar, where he oversees the company’s global financial strategy, capital markets activities, and investor relations. He brings over 25 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance, with a focus on the automotive and industrial sectors. Prior to joining Luminar in 2020, Fennimore served as Global Head of Automotive and Co-Head of the Industrials Group at Jefferies Group LLC. Before that, he spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs, including roles as Global Head of Automotive and Co-Head of the Industrials Group, based in Beijing, China. 

Throughout his career, Fennimore has led numerous high-profile IPOs, mergers, and financings for companies such as Tesla, Mobileye, Sensata, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, BYD, and Visteon. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Swarthmore College. Recognized for his leadership in the field, Fennimore was named one of M&A Advisor’s “40 Under 40” in 2015. His extensive experience in capital markets and strategic financial planning supports Luminar’s growth and long-term vision in the autonomous vehicle industry. 

Marc Losiewicz is the Chief Business Officer and General Manager at Luminar, where he leads global operations, drives the strategic plan, and manages the P&L for Luminar’s products. He has more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, bringing complex electronic and embedded systems from concept to market at scale. Prior to joining Luminar, Losiewicz held senior roles at major Tier 1 suppliers, including ZF Friedrichshafen, TRW, and Continental Automotive. At ZF, he managed the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) product line with responsibility for a $1 billion P&L and global product strategy.  

Since joining Luminar in 2020, Losiewicz has held multiple leadership roles including Vice President of Automotive Business Development and Chief of Staff. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and has built a career spanning engineering, program management, strategic planning and general management. His expertise in OEM partnerships, global operations, and product development continues to shape Luminar’s position in the autonomous vehicle industry.  

Alex Fishkin is the Chief Legal Officer at Luminar, where he oversees the company’s global legal strategy and operations. He brings over two decades of experience at the intersection of law, business, and technology, having held senior legal roles at both high-growth startups and large global companies. Fishkin has held legal leadership positions at FreeWire Technologies, Momentus Space, and Google, and previously served as Luminar’s General Counsel prior to rejoining the company in 2024. 

Fishkin began his career as an engineer before transitioning into legal leadership. He holds a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where he also served as an adjunct professor, and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Known for building high-performing legal teams and guiding companies through complex regulatory and operational challenges, Fishkin plays a key role in supporting Luminar’s strategic growth and innovation. 

M. Scott Faris is the CEO of Luminar Semiconductor, where he leads the company’s mission to deliver next-generation photonic technologies for advanced sensing and computing applications. He is a seasoned technology entrepreneur with nearly 30 years of experience in operating, financing, and commercializing more than 20 startup and emerging-growth companies. Faris has deep experience in the defense and aerospace sectors, having served in executive and board roles across multiple organizations focused on infrared optics, sensing technologies, and national security applications. 

Faris has founded and led a number of ventures, including Eqlipse Quantum, a commercialization accelerator for dual-use quantum technologies, Planar Energy, a DOE spin-out focused on solid-state batteries, and Aerosonix, a developer of acoustic control systems. He has also held leadership positions at Infleqtion, Luminar Technologies, Waveguide Solutions, Ocean Optics, and the Enterprise Corporation, and was a partner at Corporate IP Ventures. An active supporter of early-stage innovation, he has served on several public and private boards and investment committees, including those focused on regional economic development. Faris holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Penn State University. 

Anders Grunnet-Jepsen is the Vice President of Advanced Development at Luminar, where he leads the development of next-generation LiDAR systems. He brings over two decades of experience in 3D computer vision, photonics, and optical systems, with a focus on scaling advanced technologies from research to productization. Prior to joining Luminar, Grunnet-Jepsen served as Chief Technology Officer of Intel’s RealSense Group, where he oversaw the development of depth-sensing and 3D camera technologies. He has also held leadership roles at Intel’s Photonics Technology Operation and Display Technology Operation, and was the founder and CTO of ThinkOptics, a company known for its motion-sensing technology licensed for use in gaming controllers. He was Chief Scientist at Templex Technologies, an Optical Communications Company that was acquired by Intel.  

Dr. Grunnet-Jepsen holds a Ph.D. from Oxford University and a MSc in Electrical Engineer from the Technical University of Denmark.  He is the author of over 60 scientific publications and more than 85 patents. His expertise spans R&D leadership, hardware/software integration, and cross-functional team management. At Luminar, he plays a critical role in advancing the company’s innovation roadmap, leading the Luminar Halo Lidar development, and accelerating the deployment of autonomous vehicle technologies. 

Björn Giesler is Vice President of Software at Luminar, responsible for delivering the Sentinel stack of scalable safe LiDAR Perception for all Luminar customers. He brings together a background in autonomous robot sensing and navigation and 20 years of experience in Automotive, developing ADAS and autonomy solutions in passenger cars, robotaxis, and commercial trucks.  Björn joined Luminar in 2020 to focus on ADAS/AD function development, geometric perception, and the company’s Sentinel strategy, leading multiple global teams across six international sites. He is a strong supporter of the Software Craftsmanship movement, infusing all development teams with pride and empowerment to develop the highest quality product possible. 

Prior to joining Luminar, Björn held senior development positions at various automotive companies, including paving the ground for Autonomous Driving in Audi’s 2012 Traffic Jam Pilot program, leading the ADAS Function development program at Samsung, L4 Autonomous Driving functions at ZF, and the Driver Assistance domain at Elektrobit (EB). He holds a PhD in Robotics. 

Jeff Jaisle is the Vice President of Manufacturing at Luminar, where he leads global manufacturing operations and scaling initiatives for the company’s lidar systems. With more than 25 years of experience in automotive and manufacturing, Jaisle has held senior operational roles at top Tier 1 suppliers, including Chief Operating Officer at Brose North America, and Vice President of Operations at both JAC Products and BENTELER Group. His background includes deep expertise in lean manufacturing, supply chain optimization, and large-scale operational leadership. 

Prior to joining Luminar, Jaisle was an engagement manager at Seraph Consulting, advising automotive clients on improving operational performance. He also founded ProductionNet, a cloud-based manufacturing execution system focused on digitizing shop floor operations. Jaisle holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton and brings a disciplined, systems-driven approach to scaling production in support of Luminar’s global growth. 

Dr. Matthew Weed is Vice President of Product at Luminar, focused on the company’s future through analysis and road-mapping of the mobility and sensor industries. Matt is one of the founding employees at Luminar, having joined the company in 2015. His career has focused on commercializing advanced optics and photonics technologies and he has done so in drug delivery, medical diagnostics, and now automotive. 

Beyond his work at Luminar, Matthew is an active member of his international technical community sitting as a Board Member of the Florida Photonics Cluster as well as the College of Optics & Photonics at UCF. Previously, Matthew Chaired of the Public Policy Council of Optica and was a founding Steering Committee Member of the National Photonics Initiative. Academically, he earned his PhD through studies of the integration and fabrication of chip-scale photonic devices at CREOL, the College of Optics at the University of Central Florida and received his Bachelor of Science in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He holds more than 40 US patents in laser, lidar, and other sensing technologies. 

Yarden Amsalem is Head of Investor Relations for Luminar, responsible for leading the company’s engagement with public market investors and analysts, managing earnings communications, financial messaging, and strategic initiatives to support the company’s long-term value creation. With over a decade of experience, she brings a unique combination of financial markets expertise, operational execution, and a deep understanding of the automotive and technology sectors.  

Prior to joining Luminar, Yarden was a Venture Capital investor at Ibex Investors, where she focused on early-stage startup investments. Earlier in her career, Yarden was an Equity Research Associate at Bank of America, covering the US automotive and mobility sector. Yarden holds a B.S. in Economics from Columbia University, where she graduated summa cum laude. Prior to her professional career, Yarden was a professional volleyball player.