Leon Li is the deputy general manager of Automotive BU at Focuslight Technologies, where he previously served as team leader of international sales, and later, head of BU Open Package Diode Lasers; his work has been vital to the company’s successes. In 2017, he began working in lidar technology development, specifically involving a project in collaboration with a well-renowned European Tier 1. The team developed a strategic lidar transmitter for automotive-grade deployment on a luxurious L3 vehicle. Through 2020, he led a cross-functional project team to conceptualize, materialize, and industrialize a unique design of hermetically sealed transmitters based on solid-state laser technology; this was successful, subsequently passing automotive qualification. Leon supports and coaches young engineers and managers, and is passionate about instilling a sense of leadership into future generations. He is known for his enthusiasm, courage, leadership, and dedication to innovation in photonics.