Anand Gopalan is appointed as the new CEO of California-based Velodyne LiDAR. Gopalan, who was Velodyne’s CTO succeeds founder David Hall. Hall will continue as full-time chairman of the Board and remain actively involved in directing the company’s technology, product vision and business strategy.

Gopalan is an engineer and technology executive with experience in leading worldwide engineering organizations. He joined Velodyne in 2016 to form an advanced research and development team. Gopalan leads Velodyne’s customer-focused technology and product development teams to address market needs for LiDAR solutions designed for high performance, cost optimisation and high-volume production.

Velodyne LiDAR, a leading manufacturer of solutions for autonomy and driver assistance system is among top contributors to the autonomous mobility segment and serves a range of markets including automotive, mapping, on-demand mobility, robotics, security, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and more.

Gopalan has worked closely with Hall over the past three years to develop the company’s technological roadmap and strategic vision. Speaking on his appointment, David Hall said: “Anand Gopalan and I have worked side-by-side on Velodyne’s technology roadmap. He is the right executive to lead Velodyne in its next growth phase. His finger is on the pulse of customer and market needs while possessing the technical brilliance and leadership skills to innovate and deliver. As chairman, Anand has my full support while I continue to provide vision, strategise and invent.”

Anand Gopalan also spoke on the roadmap for Velodyne: “David Hall is more than the founder of Velodyne, he is also the founder of our industry. I am grateful for the trust he has placed in me and excited to lead a company with such a deep history in innovation as Velodyne. We are the forefront of our market, ready to drive the age of autonomy. Velodyne is bringing improved mobility and safety through versatility, responsiveness and agility."

David Hall invented 3D LiDAR sensor technology in 2005 and set the foundation for Velodyne’s market leadership. Holding more than 30 US patents, Hall is a technology visionary and serial inventor covering a variety of applications, including LiDAR, audio and marine.