About Us
The History Behind Our Company
Since 2006, Opalux has aimed to transform the way the world uses colour. It has created a platform of innovative, stimulus-responsive coatings that change colour to convey information. Opalux has used this technology to become a global leader in advanced anti-counterfeiting security features, establishing key partnership with global security printers to develop transformative products for passports, ID cards and banknotes.
Building off of their success in the Security Printing market, Opalux is now accelerating the development of its electrically colour-changing material, Chameleonix™. Customizable in shape and size, Opalux is commercializing Chameleonix™ for a wide range of applications, from smartphone and apparel to architectural décor.
Opalux brings COLOUR to LIFE to improve user experiences with their products. This is accomplished through our patented technology, which enables flexibility for designers and customized products for consumers. Through our technology, we transform the way people perceive and react to colour.
Management Team
Allan Firhøj
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DIRECTOR
Allan has over 25 years of experience and has a consistent track record of delivering record growth and profitability by building engaging individuals and teams within company start-ups, companies reigniting growth, mergers, and divestitures. With a deep understanding of critical business drivers in multiple markets and industries, he has been successful in building relationships in high-tech products and services markets with multi-nationals: winning major contracts, integrating market leading products, sales strategies, and marketing.
Dr. André Arsenault
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, DIRECTOR
Dr. André Arsenault is a co-founder of Opalux and leads new and existing product development. Under André’s leadership, Opalux has developed a range of security features and have authored over 15 granted and pending patent families. He earned his Ph.D. degree in polymer and materials chemistry at the University of Toronto. His doctoral dissertation was on tunable photonic crystal materials, the basis of Opalux’s products. Additionally, he co-authored Nanochemistry: A Chemical Approach to Nanomaterials. André is the author of numerous articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and was awarded first prize in NSERC’s Innovation Challenge Award.
Soraya Zidane
MARKET DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERSHIP MANAGER
Dynamic and goal-oriented professional (and travel lover!) with a passion for building strong relationships. Soraya has worked in 8 different countries and brings over 6 years of international experience in Sales, Account Management, Client Success and Project Management.
After completing a B.Sc. in International Business at EPHEC in Brussels and a M.Sc. in International Management at UDC Smurfit Graduate Business School in Dublin, Soraya applied her skills and enthusiasm at various organizations including Coca-Cola, General Electric, BNP Paribas and CIFAR.
Matthew Mulvale
PRODUCT MANAGER
Matthew Mulvale is a Product Manager at Opalux and manages the development and scale-up of Opalux’s products Opal-ID and Chameleonix. He is passionate about creating new products from novel materials and has gained over 5 years of work experience in material science based start-ups. Matthew earned his BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering from the University of Waterloo, where in his final year he won the W. R. Perti Engineering Design Award for technical excellence at the Canadian Engineering Competition.
Board of Directors
Paul Chan
DIRECTOR
Paul Chan is an entrepreneur with broad interests and a record of success. After completing a B.Sc. in Computer Science at the University of Toronto and an MBA in Finance at York University, Paul applied his skills and enthusiasm at various organizations including TD Bank, General Motors, and Imperial Oil. As an entrepreneur Paul pursued projects of personal and public importance, including property and automotive projects, followed later by the creation of an energy- and cost-efficient housing system. This system has found popularity in Europe, where it continues to be manufactured and sold. Paul is a co-founder and former CEO of Opalux.
Allan Firhøj
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DIRECTOR
Allan has over 25 years of experience and has a consistent track record of delivering record growth and profitability by building engaging individuals and teams within company start-ups, companies reigniting growth, mergers, and divestitures. With a deep understanding of critical business drivers in multiple markets and industries, he has been successful in building relationships in high-tech products and services markets with multi-nationals: winning major contracts, integrating market leading products, sales strategies, and marketing.
Dr. André Arsenault
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, DIRECTOR
Dr. André Arsenault is a co-founder of Opalux and leads new and existing product development. Under André’s leadership, Opalux has developed a range of security features and have authored over 15 granted and pending patent families. He earned his Ph.D. degree in polymer and materials chemistry at the University of Toronto. His doctoral dissertation was on tunable photonic crystal materials, the basis of Opalux’s products. Additionally, he co-authored Nanochemistry: A Chemical Approach to Nanomaterials. André is the author of numerous articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and was awarded first prize in NSERC’s Innovation Challenge Award.
Jeffrey MacIntosh
DIRECTOR
Jeffrey MacIntosh holds the Toronto Stock Exchange Chair in Capital Markets Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, and is a past Associate Director and Director of the Capital Markets Institute at the University of Toronto. Professor MacIntosh is also a Director of the Canadian Securities Exchange. He holds law degrees from Harvard and Toronto, and a B.Sc. degree from M.I.T. Professor MacIntosh, his current research and publications focus on venture capital financing and government policy toward innovation.
Imagine changing the colour of (almost)
anything you want.