Ayrton Announces New Leadership

	(l-r) Ayrton global sales director, Massimo Bolandrina; VP of Golden Sea, Chris Agius Ferrante; Ayrton CEO, Michael Althaus

Ayrton has made changes to its leadership. The French lighting manufacturer is now led by Michael Althaus, who has been promoted from global sales director to CEO, a role taken in September 2025. Althaus has led Ayrton's global sales since 2017 and has played a central role in the company's growth.

"It's a great honor to step into the role of CEO at such an important moment in Ayrton's journey," Althaus comments. "Knowing Ayrton now for 25 years and having grown with this company over more than a decade, I've seen first-hand what makes Ayrton exceptional -- the passion of our people, the strength of our culture, and our relentless drive for innovation. My focus will be on building on this legacy while shaping the next chapter of growth together with our teams and partners worldwide."

Massimo Bolandrina, who joined Ayrton after 15 years in sales-focused roles at Claypaky, has been appointed global sales director. Matt Hallard's role as European sales director expands further into Europe and North Africa, with Koen Ceulemans joining his team as European sales manager in January 2026.

Yvan Peard, Ayrton's founder and CTO, continues to generate new products, most recently with the RAWBEAM 350, billed as the most advanced moving light Ayrton has developed.

Christopher Agius Ferrante, VP of Golden Sea, and Ayrton's CEO since 2017, now leads Golden Sea Holdings, the organization overseeing all of Golden Sea's foreign brands.

"This is an enormously exciting time at Golden Sea and Ayrton," Ferrante says. "I've loved being part of the daily fabric at Ayrton. While I'll certainly miss that, it's essential we implement a structure capable of delivering strategic planning, seamless integration with our mother company, and results through the collective strengths of the group. This new structure will make that possible."

Joining Ferrante from Ayrton are Chunyan Hou, integration and legal director, focusing on post-merger integration; Xulin Liang, corporate strategy and operations specialist; and Muzi Lui, ESG analyst.