Seasoned Operations Executive Jim Barnhart Appointed Chief Operating Officer of Velodyne Lidar

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) today announced that it has appointed James L. Barnhart as Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately.

Mr. Barnhart brings to Velodyne Lidar more than 30 years of experience and has a proven track record of manufacturing operations leadership, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Operations at Nanometrics Inc. As COO of Velodyne, he will be responsible for leading Velodyne’s world-class operations, supply chain, manufacturing and partner relations. Mr. Barnhart will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Dr. Anand Gopalan.

“The addition of Jim Barnhart, an accomplished industry veteran, as COO significantly bolsters our executive team and further advances Velodyne Lidar’s global manufacturing leadership,” said Dr. Gopalan. “With a wealth of experience in semi-conductor technology, we are confident Jim will be a key leader as we scale our breakthrough automated micro lidar array manufacturing operations in San Jose and with partners worldwide. I am excited to drive Velodyne’s next phase of growth with this leadership team as we work relentlessly to deliver on our promise to provide revolutionary sensor and software solutions that advance safer mobility for all.”

“Anand and the Velodyne Lidar team are among the best in the business,” said Mr. Barnhart. “I look forward to hitting the ground running as COO and helping to build on already strong momentum as we execute against our strategy to serve customers with lidar technology at scale and meet the needs of a wide range of industries.”

About Jim Barnhart

James L. Barnhart is a results-delivering executive with a proven record in operations, general management, supply chain, services, manufacturing and engineering. Mr. Barnhart serves as Chief Operating Officer at Velodyne Lidar, where he is responsible for leading automated manufacturing operations that produce world-class lidar sensors. Prior to joining Velodyne, Mr. Barnhart was Senior Vice President, Operations at Nanometrics Inc., a provider of advanced process control solutions. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President, Global Operations at Cymer LLC. Mr. Barnhart’s industry experience also includes operational leadership roles at Applied Materials, Johnson & Johnson and AREVA. He was also an engineering division officer in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Barnhart holds an MBA from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Washington State University’s College of Engineering in Pullman.

About Velodyne Lidar

Velodyne Lidar (Nasdaq: VLDR, VLDRW) ushered in a new era of autonomous technology with the invention of real-time surround view lidar sensors. Velodyne is the first public pure-play lidar company and is known worldwide for its broad portfolio of breakthrough lidar technologies. Velodyne’s revolutionary sensor and software solutions provide flexibility, quality and performance to meet the needs of a wide range of industries, including autonomous vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), smart cities and security. Through continuous innovation, Velodyne strives to transform lives and communities by advancing safer mobility for all. For more information, visit www.velodynelidar.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including, without limitation, all statements other than historical fact and include, without limitation, statements regarding Velodyne’s target markets, new products, development efforts, competition. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," “can,” "should," "future," "propose" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside Velodyne's control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include the uncertain impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Velodyne's and its customers' businesses; Velodyne's ability to manage growth; Velodyne's ability to execute its business plan; uncertainties related to the ability of Velodyne's customers to commercialize their products and the ultimate market acceptance of these products; uncertainties regarding government regulation and adoption of lidar; the rate and degree of market acceptance of Velodyne's products; the success of other competing lidar and sensor-related products and services that exist or may become available; uncertainties related to Velodyne's current litigation and potential litigation involving Velodyne or the validity or enforceability of Velodyne's intellectual property; and general economic and market conditions impacting demand for Velodyne's products and services. Velodyne undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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