PINE BROOK, NJ – MaxLite has expanded its leadership team with two executive appointments: Thomas Rhee returns to the company as chief operating officer and Dwight Kitchen, who has two decades of lighting experience, has been named chief revenue officer. Both will report directly to Chairman and CEO Yon Sung and “play critical roles in driving MaxLite‘s growth, innovation, and operational excellence,” the company said.
Rhee returns to MaxLite with over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and strategic leadership across the consumer electronics and lighting industries. He previously served as MaxLite’s executive vice president of sales & marketing from 2010 to 2014, where he helped rebrand the company, introduced breakthrough LED products, and led organizational transformation, the company said.
In his new role, Rhee will oversee product development, engineering, operations, sourcing, and human resources.
Rhee holds a Master of Science in business administration from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He served as a board member of the Consumer Electronics Association from 2000 to 2006 and most recently taught as an adjunct professor at Yonsei University.
Kitchen, who holds a BSEE from Merrimack College, will lead all revenue-generating and marketing functions. He has worked at Sylvania, Osram, Electrix, and most recently ESI Lighting.
At Osram Sylvania, according to MaxLite, Kitchen launched the Americas Luminaires Division, transforming the business from traditional lighting components to solid-state lighting solutions. He also held pivotal roles in Sylvania Lighting Solutions and the OEM business unit, where he enhanced OEM partnerships and drove revenue growth.
“Dwight’s appointment represents a significant step in strengthening MaxLite’s commercial capabilities as the company accelerates its go-to-market efforts in luminaires, lamps, controls and EV infrastructure,” the company said in a release.
