Brian Count
Brian received an honours degree in mathematics from Kings College, Cambridge and a doctorate in physics from Exeter University.
He joined the Central Electricity Generation Board (CEGB) in 1974 and rose to become Director of Power Generation in National Power, the largest UK generating company formed on privatisation of the industry.
In 2000 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Innogy plc, the public company comprising National Power’s UK business. He transformed the company from a generator to an integrated energy business and the acquisition by RWE of Innogy plc in 2003 delivered a substantial return to shareholders.
Brian became Chief Executive of RWE Trading, based in Essen, Germany where he remained until he retired from RWE in 2005. In this role he grew the European energy trading business to become a commercial hub of the RWE group.
He is currently a non-executive director of Eskom, the South African electricity company; Chairman of Progressive Energy, a company that is working with Centrica to develop a clean coal fired power station in the UK; and is also a member of the UK Industrial Development Advisory Board of the DTI. He has extensive experience of international energy utilities and has been involved with governments and regulatory matters in both the UK and Europe.
Brian is non-executive Chairman of Ceres Power after having joined the company as a non-executive director in March 2007. Brian sits on the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination and Governance Committees.
Peter Bance
Peter completed a science degree at UNB in Canada and then won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where he earned a Ph.D. in Physics and rowed in two University Boat Races against Cambridge.
Peter then moved to PA Consulting’s Product and Process Engineering practice where he worked with a range of international clients on consumer product development, manufacturing process improvements and due diligence for private equity investments.
After PA, he established and grew a successful corporate venturing practice at Generics Group in Cambridge (UK) where he led many business development engagements at board level including venture creation, licensing, fund raising, business planning, and commercial negotiation. Peter has acted as interim CEO for a number of new ventures in a range of markets focusing on the energy sector.
Peter joined Ceres Power as CEO in 2003 to lead the strategic and commercial aspects of the business.
Andrew Baker
Andrew holds first and higher degrees in engineering from Imperial College, together with an Executive MBA from Cranfield. An early career leading the development of new materials and manufacturing processes from R&D to successful commercialisation progressed into technical management and strategic business management consulting roles within leading service providers, including KPMG.
Andrew has played leading roles as a plc and subsidiary board director developing profitable automotive component and first tier systems with high sales growth during industry globalization. As a plc director of Calsonic International Europe with strategic business development and P&L responsibilities, Andrew established and developed engineering and manufacturing divisions during profitable four-fold sales growth of the European business with major premium brand OEMs. Andrew then became a director of Ricardo Consulting Engineers with P&L responsibility for power generation business.
Andrew joined Ceres Power in August 2004 and is now Operations Director, responsible for technology, product engineering and manufacturing.
Rex Vevers
Rex received an economics degree from Newcastle Upon Tyne university before joining Arthur Andersen where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1982.
He then pursued an industrial career where he held Divisional and Group FD roles in sectors spanning high technology, manufacturing and finance with companies including Elders Resources, Avon Cosmetics and Pechiney. In these roles, Rex gained significant experience in corporate finance, treasury, risk management and international deal-making.
Rex has also co-foundered, run and subsequently sold his own software development company and qualified as a Corporate Treasurer.
More recently Rex was the European CFO of a global FMCG group operating multiple manufacturing facilities across Europe. Rex also headed up the European corporate finance and treasury functions and was a non-executive director of a venture capital backed high technology business.
Rex joined Ceres Power in 2006 as the Group’s Financial Director and Company Secretary and is responsible for finance and administration.
Bob Flint
Bob gained his first degree in Engineering at Cambridge, and later completed an MBA at Imperial College, London. He has spent his career in the application of innovative technology to business, creating value through definition of new services or products within organisations, spinning-out new entities from corporates, creating new companies and licensing intellectual property.
He started his career in one of the UK’s leading technology consulting firms where he helped clients across the public and private sector plan their adoption of step-change technologies. He then spent almost 10 years with a major European technology development and licensing company, leading a profit centre and driving growth through engineering fees, licensing and spinouts. One of these spinouts went on to become a world leader in 3D audio for PCs and computer games. Most recently, he ran the corporate venturing group at BAE Systems, responsible for building new revenues through the transfer of military technology into new markets such as automotive. He was also a founder of SpaceandPeople plc, a successful AIM-listed internet company.
Bob joined in 2005 as Commercial Director of Ceres Power Limited and is responsible for business development, intellectual property and marketing.
Nigel Brandon
Nigel obtained his first degree and PhD from Imperial College London and then spent over fourteen years in industry with both BP and Rolls-Royce in senior R&D roles in fuel cells and related areas. He was appointed to the academic staff at Imperial in 1998 and now has a Chair at the College as the Shell Professor of Sustainable Development in Energy.
Nigel is a world-renowned figure in the fuel cell community holding a number of posts including: Editorial board member of the IET Journal of Renewable Power Generation; Executive Director Imperial College Energy Futures Lab; member of the Grove Fuel Cell Steering Committee; and EPSRC Energy Senior Research Fellow.
In June 2001 he co-founded Ceres Power and is the company’s Chief Scientist.
Alan Wood
Alan holds an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manchester University and an MBA from Harvard University.
An early career over 13 years in manufacturing industries spanning edible oils & fats, construction and electrical engineering led to Alan joining Siemens in 1981. Following a number of senior management positions including Group Managing Director roles, he became Chief Executive of Siemens plc in 1998. After stepping down in 2007 Alan became non-executive Chairman of Siemens Holdings plc and is also a director of a number of other publicly listed companies.
He chaired various CBI councils during the period 1996 to 2006, has been Chairman of the German-British Chamber of Industry and Commerce since 2001, and after chairing the EEF Economic Policy Committee from 2003 to 2005 he was elected President of the EEF in 2005. Alan also chaired the Wood Review into EU Public Procurement for HM Treasury in 2004.
He joined Ceres Power in February 2008 as a non-executive director and sits on the Remuneration and the Nominations and Governance Committees.
Sir David Brown
David received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Portsmouth, holds four honorary doctorates from Bath, Kingston, Portsmouth and Surrey universities and was knighted in 2001 for his services to British Industry.
David is a prominent figure in the electronics industry having started his career as an engineer with Plessey followed by management positions at STC, ICL and Nortel. David joined Motorola in 1991 as Director of UK Operations for Cellular Infrastructure and rose to become Chairman of Motorola Limited in 1997.
In 1997 David became an Ambassador for British Business and in 2000, Vice Chairman of the UK Trade and Investment Board. In 2004 he was appointed Chairman of the Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board and was also non-executive director of P&O during the period 2002 to 2006.
David joined Ceres Power in February 2008 as a non-executive director and sits on the Audit, Remuneration and the Nominations and Governance Committees.