Functional Devices Welcomes Derek Coppinger and Laurie Oswald as Independent Directors

Functional Devices, Inc. (FDI), the maker of the RIB® (Relay in a Box®) brand, has appointed Derek Coppinger and Laurie Oswald as Independent Directors.

Their appointments complete the FDI Board and support two priorities for the company’s next phase: growing through strategic acquisitions and expanding in the data center market.

Continuing FDI’s Growth Momentum

These appointments reflect FDI’s commitment to continued, aggressive growth. With a trusted brand, mission-critical products, and a strong operating foundation, FDI sees significant opportunity in the highly fragmented building automation peripheral components market and is pursuing a robust M&A pipeline to take advantage of it. At the same time, the company is working to capture a greater share of the data center market, one of the fastest-growing end markets it serves.

Sean Barrette, Managing Partner at L Squared and an FDI Board member, said Derek and Laurie “round out a Board that is purpose-built for FDI’s next chapter.” FDI President & CEO Mark Fernandes said both directors bring exactly the experience the company needs as it accelerates its acquisition strategy and deepens its presence in data centers, all while continuing to deliver dependable, high-quality products to customers.

Derek Coppinger: M&A and Integration

Derek has spent his career executing and integrating acquisitions in technical, engineered-products businesses. He most recently served as CEO of Raptor Scientific, an L Squared platform company that he led through a buy-and-build strategy in Aerospace & Defense testing and measurement until its sale to TransDigm in 2024. At FDI, he will help guide add-on acquisitions in the building automation peripheral components market and support the integration of acquired businesses onto the FDI platform.

Laurie Oswald: Data Center Leadership

Laurie brings more than 20 years of commercial leadership across the data center, telecommunications, and critical power infrastructure markets. She has led global sales teams serving major data center operators, hyperscalers, and colocation providers at C&D Technologies, Vertiv, and CommScope. She will help FDI grow its presence in data centers, where demand for relays, current sensors, power supplies, and other power control products is rising alongside infrastructure investment.

To read the entire press release, please click here.

For questions or comments, please reach out to Eric Strickler, Director of Marketing, via email at e.strickler@functionaldevices.com or by calling (800) 888-5538.