Finchetto Appoints Former Intel and Cisco Alumni to Accelerate Fully Optical Network Switching
Kevin Crain joins as VP of Engineering and Product
John Harper appointed as Strategic Advisor
Guildford, United Kingdom // Finchetto, the company developing the world’s first fully optical passive network switch for energy-efficient AI, today announced the appointments of Kevin Crain as VP of Engineering and Product and John Harper as Strategic Advisor. These two senior appointments strengthen Finchetto’s leadership as it scales development of its breakthrough photonic switching platform for industrial AI and next-generation cloud infrastructure.
As VP of Engineering and Product, Kevin Crain leads Finchetto’s engineering organisation and product strategy, overseeing the development of its optical switching systems and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) roadmap. In this position, he will be responsible for translating Finchetto’s core technology into robust, deployable products and for aligning the company’s product plans with the needs of hyperscalers, data-centre operators and networking OEMs. Working closely with customers and partners, Kevin will shape how Finchetto’s technology is packaged, qualified and integrated into next-generation AI and high-performance computing (HPC) clusters. He brings over 30 years of experience to Finchetto through his previous work with deep-tech companies, including Director-level positions held at Intel Corporation.
“Photonics is a rapidly developing field, and what Finchetto is doing sits at the leading edge of it, keeping data and its routing entirely in the optical domain, controlling light with light,” said Kevin Crain, VP of Engineering and Product at Finchetto. “As materials, design and fabrication techniques continue to mature, the work we are doing today has the potential to evolve into applications not yet imagined. The opportunity to personally impact that journey every day is what draws the best people to deep-tech, and I’m excited to be driving it forward here.”
Additionally, as Strategic Advisor for Finchetto’s technology and product roadmap, John Harper brings deep expertise in computer networking. At Cisco, John led the global development team responsible for their Internetwork Operating System (IOS), the foundational operating system for millions of Cisco routers, switches, and security devices. John will work with Finchetto’s founders, Kevin, and the board to refine the company’s long-term technical and commercial direction, providing guidance on prioritising features, markets, and partnerships.
“I’ve been involved in computer networking for large businesses that set the industry tone, and Finchetto’s approach to photonic networking is genuinely distinctive with profound implications for AI and high-performance compute infrastructure,” said John Harper, Strategic Advisor at Finchetto. “I’m looking forward to applying everything I’ve learned across the networking industry over the course of my career to help Finchetto realise its potential and expand in new ways.”
The appointments of Kevin and John build on Finchetto’s recent momentum. In 2025, Finchetto won an Innovate UK Contract for Innovation to develop photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for its fully optical passive network switch and deploy the technology in a commercial data communications pilot. The company was also awarded the ‘Innovation Product of the Year’ award at the 2025 Data Centre World Awards.
“As we move from lab-proven prototypes towards deployable systems and chipset offerings, we need leaders who know how to take deep technology into demanding, global markets,” said Mark Rushworth, Co-Founder and CEO of Finchetto. “Kevin and John bring exactly the combination of engineering rigour, product thinking and strategic perspective that will help us turn Finchetto’s optical switching breakthrough into a category-defining platform for AI and cloud infrastructure.”
About Finchetto:
Finchetto have developed the world’s first fully optical passive network switch for data centres, hyperscalers, High Performance Compute and telecommunications.
Designed from first principles to enable energy-efficient AI, Finchetto’s groundbreaking architecture reduces power consumption by up to 20x and latency by up to 40x compared to traditional network switches.
Enabling super-low power, ultra-low latency packet switching at the speed of light with massive throughput, Finchetto’s network switch will accelerate AI efficiently and sustainably and reduce global data centre energy demands by up to 20%.
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