February 21, 2019: People news: hiring, retiring and board appointments. Retirement leads to new chairman at California Energy Commission; ESA announces new board member; Four board members quit DER firm EnSync Energy Systems; East Penn promotes longstanding employee to SVP of automotive sales; Tesla CFO retires and more…
Retirement leads to new chairman at California Energy Commission
David Hochschild
The California Energy Commission, the US energy policy and planning agency, will announce David Hochschild as its new chairman today (February 21) following confirmation that Robert Weisenmiller will retire after eight years.
Hochschild is a former solar energy executive at Solaria and PV Now, and has been a member of the commission for six years.
Janea Scott, who has worked at the commission since 2013, will become the vice chair.
ESA announces new board member
Kate McKeever
Kate McKeever has been named as the latest board member at the Energy Storage Association, the national trade association for the US energy storage industry announced on January 29.
McKeever was appointed as a director for the remainder of the 2018–2019 term.
McKeever serves as director of regulatory affairs for renewable energy plant operator Enel Green Power North America.
Four board members quit DER firm EnSync Energy Systems
US behind the meter distributed energy resource firm EnSync Energy Systems announced on February 11 that Richard Abdoo, Paul Koeppe, James Ozanne and Theodore Stern had resigned as members of its board of directors.
The company said the resignations had caused compliance deficiencies with the following sections of the NYSE American Company Guide: Section 802, requiring a majority-independent board, and Section 803, requiring an audit committee comprised of three independent directors.
On January 23, the company confirmed that Bradley Hansen had resigned as the company’s president and chief executive officer and as a member of its board.
Sandeep Gupta is the company’s interim CEO, chief restructuring officer and a member of its board of directors.
Bühler appoints Mark Macus as new CFO
Andreas Herzog (left) and Mark Macus
Swiss lithium ion battery materials firm Bühler announced on February 6 that its chief financial officer of the past 17 years, Andreas Herzog, was going to retire for age reasons effective on September 1.
The company has named Mark Macus as his replacement. Macus was employed by Bühler as head of corporate controller from 2013 to March last year.
Herzog said: “Withdrawing from the CFO position of Bühler after 17 years is an emotional moment for me. Bühler is a unique organization, in which the family spirit is still alive. But the company must renew itself permanently, and this also impacts my own function.”
Herzog will continue to plans to support Bühler as it develops new business models and start-ups.
Tesla CFO retires — again
Deepak Ahjua
Deepak Ahuja has retired as Tesla’s chief financial officer, it was announced during a quarterly earnings conference call on January 30.
Ahuja quit as the CFO of the electric vehicle and energy storage OEM after seven years in November 2015 before re-joining the firm two years later.
He will be replaced by Tesla’s vice president of finance Zach Kirkhorn. The 34 year old has been at Tesla since 2010.
Ahuja re-joined the US company following the departure of Jason Wheeler, who joined from Google but quit just 15 months into the job in 2017.
Highview Power names new GM of sales
UK liquid air energy storage firm Highview Power named Alexander Silin as its new sales director of Eastern Europe and the Middle East on February 5.
Silin was the former general manager of sales for Western Europe at GE Gas Power Systems.
Apple hires Samsung SDI exec to help battery development
Soonho Ahn
Technology giant Apple hired former Samsung SDI senior VP Soonho Ahn of next generation batteries and materials innovation as its global head of battery developments in December.
Ahn worked on lithium ion cell and pack developments, as well as cylindrical, prismatic, and polymer cells for power tools, electric vehicles, e-bikes, smartphones at the battery making affiliate of Samsung Electronics.