Adtech chief
quits in dispute
over job transfers

Tareq Hoque, who cites
differences with the parent
firm, is replaced by the
VP of marketing

---

By Tim Ruel
truel@starbulletin.com

The president of a major Honolulu high-tech firm has resigned partly because the parent company is moving parts of the operation to the mainland, the Star-Bulletin has learned.

Tareq Hoque, 35, resigned yesterday from Adtech, saying he had irreconcilable differences with the England-based parent Spirent plc.

He declined to comment on specifics.

In an e-mail, Hoque said: "We would deeply regret seeing the export of jobs from Hawaii to the mainland."

A company spokeswoman denied knowledge of any plan to export Hawaii jobs.

"That's news to me," said Cathi Lane, manager of public relations for Spirent Communications.

Hoque has been replaced by Alan Sguigna, former vice president of marketing for Adtech.

In May, the company dropped a plan to develop an office on land leased from the state in Kakaako, and has since moved headquarters into offices in First Hawaiian Center.

State technology adviser Joe Blanco said he was not aware that Adtech would be shifting jobs to the mainland.

"That would be very unfortunate," he said.

Adtech has been dominantly staffed with local engineering people, he said.

"It would be pretty hard to transport the company. A lot of good work was done here," Blanco said.

Hoque became president of Adtech in 1999, and is married to the daughter of the Weldons, University of Hawaii professors who founded Adtech in Honolulu in 1967.

Spirent bought Adtech in 1997.

Adtech's work force has grown rapidly to 340 employees from 65 in May 1997.