RAE Systems Inc., a leading developer of gas and radiation detectors for oil and gas, emergency responders, industrial safety, homeland security, and environmental remediation, today announced that Chris Toney, a well-recognized veteran of the gas and chemical analysis industry will join the company as Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Toney brings more than 30 years of progressive leadership experience in the chemical industry, all of which were spent at Hewlett Packard and its spin-off, Agilent Technologies.
Prior to assuming his current role at RAE Systems, Mr. Toney led the Gas Phase Division of the Chemical Analysis Solutions business at Agilent, which was broadly recognized as the clear market leader in Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry in the Environmental, Energy, Forensics, Food Safety and Life Science segments. Mr. Toney’s experience and responsibility garnered during his career spans across several functional areas including R&D, product line management, operations and supply chain.
During his time at Agilent, Mr. Toney also held the position of Vice President and General Manager of the Gas Phase Mass Spectrometry business, where he led Agilent’s significant portfolio expansion and sales growth over a five-year period. Due to his demonstrated success and leadership, he was given responsibility for the Gas Phase Division and was also charged with overseeing many supply chain functions for the Chemical Analysis and Life Science businesses.
“RAE Systems continues to expand into new markets through the development of life-saving threat detection technologies and products for our customers worldwide,” said Robert Chen, President and CEO of RAE Systems. “Chris’s proven track record in executive management and well-honed knowledge of our market segments and technologies will be a strong asset as we continue to innovate and grow.”
“RAE Systems has continued to differentiate itself as a leader in delivering world-class wireless gas sensors and radiation detection technologies,” said Mr. Toney. “I am enthused to join the company’s leadership team at a time when the company is well-positioned to drive growth into new areas that will ultimately improve life-saving techniques.”
RAE Systems’ Growth Through Leadership
RAE Systems has been operating as a privately held corporation after shareholders approved a merger with the global private equity firm, Vector Capital, in June 2011. Since the merger, Vector Capital has made several key appointments to its leadership team as part of its strategy to drive future growth of the company.
One major appointment was the addition of Mike Hansen to the position of Chief Financial Officer in 2011. Mr. Hansen previously was Vice President of Finance for Smiths Interconnect (of Smiths Plc., a FTSE 100 company), a $600 million division with worldwide operations offering technically differentiated electronic and radio frequency products for the commercial, military and aerospace markets.
“Our focus has been on enhancing the company’s industry leadership through differentiated offerings for the gas and radiation detection markets, recruiting world-class management, and instantiating strong business fundamentals, “ said David Fishman, General Partner of Vector Capital. “RAE Systems’ record financial results and growth of nearly 20% in 2011 and its new wireless product offerings in 2012 are solid indicators of the strength of the company.”
About RAE Systems Inc.
RAE Systems innovates, designs and manufacturers gas sensors and radiation detectors. The company offers a full line of fixed gas detection and portable gas detection solutions, including handheld and personal chemical, compound and radiation detection instruments. RAE Systems’ proven real-time safety and threat detection systems have been deployed by world leaders in the oil and gas, fire and hazmat, industrial safety, national security and environmental markets, helping save lives and maintain safety in 120 countries. The company’s industry-leading gas sensors and radiation detection solutions are widely recognized for their performance and reliability. RAE Systems is based in Silicon Valley. Learn more at www.raesystems.com.
