LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“Companies live and die by the caliber of talent that they are able to harness in service of their mission,” said Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen Co. “And we are thrilled to be able to attract some of the top minds and leaders in cleantech, logistics, and aviation to our company and our mission to get aviation and other difficult-to-decarbonize sectors on a trajectory to meet Paris Agreement goals.” Jørn Rosenlund will be the company’s new Chief Operating Officer, coming to Universal Hydrogen from Nel Hydrogen, where he was Chief Strategy Officer and before that Senior VP responsible for the Fueling Division. Jørn joined Nel with the acquisition of H2 Logic, where he was COO. Jørn will be Managing Director of Universal Hydrogen Denmark ApS. He also serves on the board of Everfuel, a European green hydrogen supply and fueling company.
Anna Goranson is Universal Hydrogen’s first VP of People. Anna joins Universal Hydrogen from Airspace, a growth-stage startup providing time-critical logistics, where she also headed the people organization, more than doubling the size of the company. Previously, Anna headed people ops at MediaAlpha and helped lead the company through its IPO. Adam Metzger is named Interim CFO. Adam is a prolific investor and advisor to a broad range of startups. He was previously Vice President at BNP Paribas and prior to that a trader and portfolio manager.
“Jørn, Anna, and Adam will help steer Universal Hydrogen through its next stage of rapid growth,” said Eremenko. “Their mission is to begin the transformation of the company from a tech startup toward an operational mindset, a focus on our airline customers, and an early path to market.”
Universal Hydrogen further added two aviation industry veterans to its Strategic Advisory Board (SAB). Patrick de Castelbajac was formerly CEO of Nordic Aviation Capital, the largest lessor of regional aircraft in the world. Patrick was also CEO of ATR, the leading maker of regional planes, as well as Chief Strategist for Airbus, in charge of the plane maker’s product and services policy. Roei Ganzarski was previously CEO of MagniX, a leader in aircraft electrification, and the Executive Chairman of Eviation Aircraft, the developer of the world’s first all-electric middle-mile aircraft. Roei is a former Boeing executive, having held many roles including CCO of Boeing Flight Services. Patrick and Roei will serve on the SAB alongside current members Tom Enders, Lourdes Maurice, and Carl Burleson.
“I’m no stranger to rapid growth companies that are transforming from a precocious startup to a great public company; it was an easy choice to join Universal Hydrogen as it reaches this important inflection point in its trajectory,” said Rosenlund. “I look forward to working with this incredibly talented group to bring green hydrogen to flight in the next few short years.”
Universal Hydrogen is currently hiring for many roles across the US and Europe. “We will need many more diverse, talented folks passionate about decarbonizing aviation for us to succeed in our mission and move with the necessary speed,” said Goranson. For opportunities and positions at Universal Hydrogen please visit: https://hydrogen.aero/careers/
About Universal Hydrogen
Universal Hydrogen is making hydrogen-powered commercial flight a near-term reality. The company takes a flexible, scalable, and capital-light approach to hydrogen logistics by transporting it in modular capsules over the existing freight network from green production sites to airports around the world. To accelerate market adoption, Universal Hydrogen is also developing a conversion kit to retrofit existing regional airplanes with a hydrogen-electric powertrain compatible with its modular capsule technology.
