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META Appoints New EVP and Expands Organizational Structure to Accelerate Growth, Strengthen Pipeline, and Increase Productivity

MMATQ | April 6, 2022

New function led by Dr. John "Yiannis" Antoniades, EVP of Engineering and EO/IR Systems

HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / April 6, 2022 / Meta Materials Inc. (the "Company" or "META®") (NASDAQ:MMAT) (FSE:MMAT) a developer of high-performance functional materials and nanocomposites, announced today an expanded organizational structure and product development model designed to support the Company's innovation, growth, and productivity ambitions as a focused advanced materials and semiconductor solutions provider in the coming decade. Central to this initiative, META also announced that Dr. John "Yiannis" Antoniades has joined the Company as Executive Vice President, Head of Engineering and Electro-Optical & Infrared Systems (EO/IR), based in a new U.S. office in Maryland, which is planned to open in a few weeks.

Dr. Antoniades brings over 35 years of experience in the system, hardware, and software development of advanced technology systems for a wide variety of applications, and he has demonstrated leadership in the academic, government and private sectors. As Head of Engineering, he will be responsible for building and leading a team to drive product engineering and META's growing portfolio of technologies to become more vertically integrated in high growth use cases, such as smart cities, 5G, automotive and metaverse applications.

"The expanded organizational structure we are announcing today is central to our growth strategy as it will make us more agile and competitive, enhance product scale up execution, unlock significant potential in our R&D pipeline and drive value creation through operational efficiencies," George Palikaras, President and CEO of META. "Furthermore, we are excited to open a new facility in the coming weeks, strategically located in Maryland, home to leading health care organizations, top aerospace & defense companies, hundreds of research centers, and dozens of federal agencies. With our growing portfolio of innovative solutions and five major in-house proprietary technologies, META is in a strong position to deliver robust, mid- and long-term sales and margin growth."

Dr. Antoniades' experience includes intelligence and reconnaissance for civil and tactical applications, thermonuclear fusion reactor design, pulsed power, directed energy and sensor systems for space, hyperspectral sensors for airborne, ground and space platforms, as well as electro-optical, metamaterial and electromagnetic systems for laboratory and field use. He joins META from Vlepsis, Inc., a company he founded in 2017 to commercialize the world's first gigapixel camera system developed initially for the US DoD.

From 2003 to 2015, Dr. Antoniades served as the BAE Systems Fellow for ISR and as the Director of ISR Technology Development Directorate for tactical, spectral, and real-time, full motion, video imaging systems for dual use applications. Previously, he worked on imaging systems for five years as a director with APTI, which was acquired by BAE Systems. He was a section head for seven years at the Naval Research Laboratory, working on plasma physics, remote sensing, and hyperspectral imaging systems.

"We are fortunate to attract someone of Dr. Antoniades' caliber and depth of experience to head our engineering team and transition to a more vertically integrated solutions company," said Ken Rice, COO and CFO at META. "Dr. Antoniades has designed, developed, and deployed cutting edge electro-optical, lidar, and IR systems delivering unprecedented performance, which required highly customized image acquisition, electronics, system integration, software, and very high-volume data processing, compression and storage. He is a true pioneer of multiple products and technologies and is recognized as the father of hyperspectral imaging."

"I am extremely excited to join META, a company whose vision is to democratize nanotechnology, and which has such a tremendous emerging technology portfolio for a wide range of high value and disruptive applications. I look forward to working closely with the team to accelerate growth, strengthen the product pipeline, and increase productivity," said Dr. Antoniades.

Dr. Antoniades has received numerous industry and national awards and distinctions for technology development and transfer for ground, airborne and spaceborne applications, government and industry meritorious service and technology development and transition. He holds a Ph.D. in Plasma and High-Temperature Physics and a Master of Science in Physics from the University of Maryland College Park. He holds a Master of Science in Plasma and High-Temperature Physics and a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Antoniades is listed as an inventor in 7 patents and has over 100 publications.

About Meta Materials Inc.

META® delivers previously unachievable performance, across a range of applications, by inventing, designing, developing, and manufacturing sustainable, highly functional materials. Our extensive technology platform enables leading global brands to deliver breakthrough products to their customers in consumer electronics, 5G communications, health and wellness, aerospace, automotive, and clean energy. Our nano-optic technology provides anti-counterfeiting security features for government documents and currencies and authentication for brands. Our achievements have been widely recognized, including being named a Lux Research Innovator of the Year in 2021. Learn more at www.metamaterial.com.

Forward Looking Information

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