Photonic Products Group Inc. (PPGI) of Northvale, N.J., announced today that John R. Ryan has been hired as vice president of sales and marketing, replacing Devaunshi Sampat, who relocated to India for personal reasons. Ryan comes to PPGI with years of experience as a photonics industry sales and marketing executive. Since 2005 he has served as director of sales for Labsphere Inc. (now part of Halma Plc), a manufacturer of electro-optical test and measurement products. From 2003 through 2005, Ryan was director of North American sales for DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) systems supplier Xtera Communications Inc. For 10 years before that, he served as regional sales manager for both optical inspection equipment maker Photon Dynamics and Electro Scientific Industries, a manufacturer of laser-based process equipment. Ryan received his BS in business administration and marketing from Merrimack College. PPGI's businesses include Inrad, a maker of crystal-based optical components and devices, laser accessories and instruments; Laser Optics, a manufacturer of precision custom optical components, assemblies and optical coatings; and MRC Optics, a provider of precision diamond-turned optics, metal optics and optomechanical and electro-optical assemblies.