Kevin Oscar Newton Kalkoven, former CEO of JDS Uniphase

JDS Uniphase

JDS Uniphase is a company that designs and manufactures products for optical communications networks, communications test and measurement equipment, lasers, optical solutions for authentication and decorative applications, and other custom optics. It is headquartered in Milpitas, California in the...

, is an Australian venture capitalist and auto racing

Auto racing

Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...

 magnate based in Menlo Park, California

Menlo Park, California

Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...

. He is a partner in the Kalkhoven, Pettit, Levin and Johnson Venture capital firm (KPLJ LLC) based in Menlo Park.

JDS Uniphase Corporation

Kalkhoven joined the Uniphase Corporation in 1992 as President, CEO and Chairman. Kalkhoven oversaw its transformation from a privately held manufacturer of industrial lasers into a publicly held supplier of components and modules for fiber optic telecommunications networks and saw Uniphase become a member of the NASDAQ 100. During Kalkhoven's tenure, as CEO, the Company’s annual sales rate increased over 67 times from $23 million in fiscal 1991 to the $394 million reported for the quarter ended March 31, 2000. Additionally, the market cap of Uniphase grew from $35 million to $100 billion. Kalkhoven oversaw the merger with JDS FITEL in July 1999 and the emergence of the combined entity in the fiber optic components and modules marketplace.

Automotive and Motorsport Interests

Kalkhoven was originally a partner with Dan Pettit in 2003 in founding PK Racing to run in the CART Champ Car World Series

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

 with Craig Pollock and the remnants of the PacWest Racing

PacWest Racing

PacWest Racing was a Champ Car racing team owned by Bruce McCaw founded in 1993. The team's first full time season was the next year, 1994, with drivers Dominic Dobson and future Indy Racing League co-champion Scott Sharp...

 team. In 2004 Jimmy Vasser

Jimmy Vasser

Jimmy Vasser is a retired American racing driver and current co-owner of KV Racing Technology. Vasser won the 1996 IndyCar season championship with Chip Ganassi Racing, and scored ten victories in the series...

 joined the partnership, replacing Pollock, thus becoming PKV Racing. The team still exists as KV Racing Technologies, which ran cars for Oriol Servia

Oriol Servia

Oriol Servià i Imbers is a race car driver in the IndyCar Series, originally from Catalonia, Spain. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.-Early career:...

 and Will Power

Will Power

William Steven Power is an Australian motorsport driver, who currently competes in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske.-Australian Racing:...

 as full time drivers in the 2008 IRL IndyCar Series. Pettit, the 'P' in PKV, left to purchase the RuSport team from Carl Russo, who decided to step away from the sport after the 2006 season.

In 2003, Kalkhoven became one of the owners of the Champ Car World Series, with Gerald Forsythe

Gerald Forsythe

Gerald Forsythe is an American businessman and auto racing magnate, best known for being one of the three men that owned the Champ Car World Series...

, Paul Gentilozzi

Paul Gentilozzi

Paul Gentilozzi is a race car driver and businessman. His non-racing business interests are real estate development, principally developing store sites for big box retailers....

 and Dan Pettit under the name OWRS, or Open-Wheel Racing Series. Additionally, Kalkhoven purchased the Cosworth

Cosworth

Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...

 and Pi Group companies from Ford

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 in 2004 with Gerald Forsythe

Gerald Forsythe

Gerald Forsythe is an American businessman and auto racing magnate, best known for being one of the three men that owned the Champ Car World Series...

, along with purchasing the rights to major races in Toronto and Long Beach as strategic measures to ensure the future of the Champ Car series. In March 2008, Champ Car declared bankruptcy, and an agreement was reached with Tony George, owner of the Indy Racing League, to merge the two series under the IRL IndyCar Series banner for 2008 and beyond.

Miscellaneous

Kalkhoven was named as the Number 5 Most Powerful and Influential man in Racer Magazine's 2005 Power and Influence in Racing list (November 2005 issue.)

Kalkhoven is a licensed aviator and is known to fly his own Gulfstream 550 Transcontinental luxury jet all over the world.

Kalkhoven was educated at the Whitgift School

Whitgift School

Whitgift School is an independent day school educating approximately 1,400 boys aged 10 to 18 in South Croydon, London in a parkland site.- History and grounds :...

 in Croydon

Croydon

Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...

, England. After leaving school he joined Mobil

Mobil

Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...

 in Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...

, England before joining IBM

IBM

International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

as a systems analyst.