Rubicon Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCN), a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical markets, today announced that Warren S. Stewart III has joined the Company as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, effective immediately. Mr. Stewart was formerly Vice President, Sales, at Cree, Inc., in Durham, North Carolina. He will provide leadership to Rubicon’s global sales and marketing team, reporting to Raja M. Parvez, President and Chief Executive Officer.

 “Warren Stewart’s experience forging strong relationships with leading manufacturers in the LED industry and driving sales growth make him an excellent addition to Rubicon at this pivotal stage,” said Mr. Parvez. “With the recent launch of our line of large-diameter Patterned Sapphire Substrates (PSS), we are bringing an all-new value proposition to the world’s most sophisticated LED chip-makers. Warren’s depth of industry experience and his proven leadership skills will provide an advantage in the further development of our global customer relationships,” he concluded.

Mr. Stewart served as Vice President, Sales, at Cree, Inc., from 2005 to 2013 and was employed by Cree since 1997 in increasingly responsible sales management roles. Previously, following his service as an officer in the United States Navy, he gained international experience in advanced materials with Superior Graphite Co. He earned an M.B.A. degree from the International University of Japan in Niigata-ken, Japan, and a B.S. degree from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

“Rubicon’s reputation in the sapphire industry for product quality, innovation, and reliability has created an excellent platform for the next stage in the company’s development,” said Mr. Stewart. “I am delighted to join the team now, when Rubicon is facilitating even greater efficiency for its LED customers with large-diameter polished wafers and PSS and, at the same time, is enhancing its capabilities for premium quality optical sapphire.”