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Preparing corporations for the markets of tomorrow has been the hallmark of Mr. Nussgruber’s career. As an accomplished global executive leading P&L, business development, product management, and end-to-end commercialization, he provides 25+ years’ leadership experience in the industrial gases’ growth space. With his focus on delivering game changing energy transition solutions, he continues to drive the commercialization of novel technologies and business approaches. Mr. Nussgruber holds a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, as well as a MBA from Heriott-Watt University in Scotland.

Mr. Heinlein is a proven financial executive with an extensive career spanning more than 30 years, marked by achievements in executive-level financial management. His expertise encompasses diverse industries, including manufacturing, distribution and service businesses, with a proven track record of success in renewable fuels, chemicals, oil and gas, laboratory distribution and life sciences, and semiconductors. With a wealth of experience in fund-raising and financial operations, Mr. Heinlein has raised nearly $35 billion over his career, a testament to his ability to secure capital and drive financial growth. Notably, he has executed two successful initial public offerings (IPOs) and two leveraged buyouts (LBOs), generating substantial gains for investors and management teams. Mr. Heinlein has held senior finance positions in public and private companies, including Dow Chemical, ION Geophysical, Stallion Oilfield Services, and most recently, Fulcrum BioEnergy, where he served as the Chief Financial Officer. In each role, he demonstrated sound financial leadership, fostering growth and optimizing operational efficiencies. He holds a B.B.A in general management from Saginaw Valley State University and an MBA from Michigan State University.

Dr. Novak dedicated his career to energy transition towards a zero-carbon society. He has a deep commercial and technical background with 24 years of experience developing and commercializing clean energy and mobility technologies. As boards advisor and C-suite executive, he has been setting course for corporations, creating new markets, building new lines of business, and pioneering multi-industry global ventures that fueled commercial growth for international energy/power supermajors (Chevron, GE) and clean energy startups (Ultra Safe Nuclear, CT-Coating). Dr. Novak holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an Executive MBA from Rice University.

Dr. Reinartz was formerly Vice President of the Lithium-Ion battery electric drive vehicle (EDV) & energy storage systems (ESS) business at Celgard, a manufacturer of battery separator membranes and a subsidiary of Asahi Kasei. Dr. Reinartz joined Celgard in 2015 and served in roles of expanding responsibility in the areas of product management, R&D and quality. Earlier in his career, he spent more than 10 years in technology and product management positions at Axalta Coating Systems and DuPont. 

Dr. Reinartz holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an Executive MBA from Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Mr. McMullen brings more than 30 years of industrial gases experience including 20+ years of P&L management where he delivered significant growth in the large scale, long term supply segment of the business. His strong business acumen, balance of operations and technical skills, combined with the ability to build strong results oriented teams has enabled him to successfully deliver major capital projects. Utilizing a customer focused approach, he has provided leadership in new product development and product portfolio management to world leading companies in the semiconductor, chemicals and materials industries. Mr. McMullen holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from the No. 1 globally ranked program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Ms. Goranson brings more than 20 years of progressive HR experience both in Fortune 500 companies and start-up portfolio companies. Prior to joining Utility, she led the People function at G2O Technologies, a chemical manufacturing company. She has spent much of her career in the energy industry, most notably leading progressive global HR teams with ExxonMobil, Baker Hughes and GE. More recently, she has worked in start-up portfolio companies owned by Warburg Pincus and Arsenal Capital Partners. Ms. Goranson has a B.A. degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Steffek is a Partner at Ara Partners. He brings 25 years of experience launching new products and investing in the advanced materials and energy space. He currently serves on the board of directors for several Ara portfolio companies. Prior to Ara, he was the founding Managing Director of Aramco Energy Ventures in North America. At Aramco Ventures, he led investments in companies involved in renewable energy, low carbon chemicals and fuels, advanced materials, and energy efficiency through digital automation and robotics. Before joining Aramco Ventures, Dr. Steffek was Director of Corporate Development and Strategy at First Solar, responsible for strategic investments and acquisitions, with an emphasis on new technologies and products. Prior to that, he led sustainability investments in a broad range of energy technology companies at the Altira Group. Dr. Steffek holds a Ph.D. in materials chemistry from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mr. David is a Principal at Ara and is involved with all aspects of the firm’s investment process.

Prior to joining Ara, Mr. David was a Vice President at AUA Private Equity where he was responsible for origination, structuring, due diligence, execution and monitoring of investments in the consumer and food sectors. He was a board member of Epi Breads, Profectus Beauty, Westminster Pet Products, and Gourmet Culinary Partners. Prior to joining AUA, he was with J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

Mr. David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Tufts University, where he graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and was a member of the Varsity Baseball team. He received a Master of Business Administration from the Columbia Business School.

Mr. Morelato is a Metallurgical Engineer with a Master’s in Material Science from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. He also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago where he studied finance, strategy, accounting and entrepreneurship. Mr. Morelato has developed his 25-year career with ArcelorMittal holding managing positions in technology, operations, maintenance, quality control and customer support. Currently, he leads the Decarbonization Technology development in ArcelorMittal as part of the group’s CTO team. He contributes to the Utility board of directors as a representative of XCarb Innovation Fund from ArcelorMittal.

Mr. Hammarstrom was formerly the President of HyCO Americas Region with Air Products and Chemicals. He is a profit-driven leader of business strategy, tactics, and execution with over 32 years of experience managing businesses exceeding $2 billion in revenue. He joined Air Products in 1988, initially in the Merchant Gases division. He held roles ranging from business development and business management to managing director, Vice President, and President. In 2015 he was appointed vice president, Americas HyCO, responsible for the profitability and growth of the of the company’s HyCO franchises and stand-alone plants in the Americas region. In 2020, he assumed the role of President of the HyCO Americas Region with expanded responsibilities for carbon capture and storage and hydrogen for mobility. Mr. Hammarstrom is on the Energy Institute Advisory Board of Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business. He holds a B.A. degree in economics and an MBA degree from Tulane University.

Dr. Dawson’s track record of developing and commercializing industry-shaping technologies is widely recognized. As a respected expert in the energy industry, he has held leadership & technology roles in several Fortune 500 companies, including the roles of President, Chief Technology Officer, and Venture Capital Investment Manager. In addition to founding Utility, he has founded two other successful companies, one of which went on to receive the World Oil Award and E&P’s Meritorious Award For Engineering Innovation and was successfully acquired. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and currently holds more than one hundred (100) patent, patent applications and publications in the energy field. He’s a seasoned executive, experienced director, savvy venture capitalist and technology leader.

Mr. Idelchik is an innovative thought leader, board director and executive advisor who develops new technology across multiple industries and evolves it to compete and win in the global market. A leader of five divisions during his career at GE, he was on the front line of creating “world’s-first” products that revolutionized healthcare and aviation. A system-level thinker, he has intricate knowledge of the global technology supply chain from conception to market and has developed talent and led teams throughout the world. His nearly 40 years of success culminated in receiving GE’s highest honor recognizing lifetime achievement. Mr. Idelchik currently leverages his ability to connect industry and technology as a board member and trusted advisor to business leaders. He serves as a strategic and technology consultant for a variety of companies and fills a much-needed role in the start-up sphere where he guides product maturity, scale up, and supply chain development that is tailored to making each specific technology a success. He additionally serves on the Advisory Board of Singapore National Research Foundation, where he is valued for helping simplify the complexities of positioning the country as a global technology competitor. As Vice President of Advanced Technology at GE Global Research, Mr. Idelchik led a team of 1,200 scientists, engineers and technicians to develop and mature products and services in vital technological areas. He created collaborations to access and inspire internal and external innovation, and he coached and mentored top technical talent. As a voting member of GE Ventures and Strategic Advisor for GE technology spinoffs, Mr. Idelchik drove growth and created a new supply chain benefitting the entire company, evaluating and determining engagement levels with more than 100 companies a year from around the world.

Dr. Farandos received his MEng in Chemical Engineering from University of Cambridge and went on to receive his Ph.D. from Imperial College. He has a proven track record as a technology specialist who has developed innovative breakthroughs that have pushed the industry to the next level. With over twenty (20) patent applications in the field of electrochemistry, he is an electrochemical contributor to Utility.