Welcome to the first episode of The Future is Clean, a Piper Maddox podcast series exploring the people, careers and conversations shaping the clean energy industry.In this episode, Myles Whaley, Senior Recruitment Consultant for Renewable Energy across Northern Europe, speaks with Hugh Gilmour, Head of Development UK at Telis Energy.Hugh shares his route into renewable energy, his experience working across major projects in the UK, the biggest challenges facing the industry right now, and his advice for anyone looking to build a career in the sector.With a background in chartered surveying and experience across businesses including EDF, Dalcour Maclaren and Telis Energy, Hugh brings a brilliant perspective on how the industry has evolved, where it could be heading, and what it takes to grow a career in renewables.Hosted by Myles Whaley, Senior Recruitment Consultant: Renewable Energy - Northern Europe at Piper Maddox.Guest: Hugh Gilmour, Head of Development UK at Telis Energy.To reach out to the podcast host, contact Myles at: [email protected] for more conversations from across the clean energy industry.

This episode, Jen dives in with Alex and Piper Maddox on the different types of organizations and environments across renewables/cleantech – and how all kinds of public, private, non-profit, etc. organizations have a major part to play in the planet’s overall goals to decarbonize. Jen speaks to different skillsets that bode well in different types of organizations, and what challenges those joining the space can effect in each.

ABOUT JEN DALOISIO:

Jen Daloisio is currently the SVP of Corporate Operations with FirstLight Energy where she’s recently joined after a long stint at The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center as CFO and CEO. Spanning a career across consulting, the public sector, and now renewable energy development – she shares an excellent view of the skillsets and intangibles needed to succeed in different environments.

Jen also has done considerable board work and volunteering with organizations like Greentown Labs, NECEC Institute, and the MA STEM Advisory council focused on workforce development at it’s earliest stage across the Climate space. She is a pioneer and an act of change for sustainability in the industry.

A deep dive into the different steps of someone’s potential career in the CleanTech space. Claire gives terrific insight into ways to best stand out as a junior person, and what intangibles she and other leaders most look for – and delves into the best resources and tips for executives and potential founders in the space. We give some color into what the sentiment is in the market, and how to best stand out on a resume and interview as well.

ABOUT CLAIRE:

Claire is career Leader, Founder, and Advisor in the Renewable Energy and CleanTech industry, currently serving on several boards and supporting dozens of startups in the space with how own consultancy CBJ Energy. She is the founder of SunEdison, who at one point was the largest solar energy services provider in North America; at its height, the company had an asset value of over $10 billion and more than 7,000 employees. She’s also spent time with the Department of Energy, as an advisor to their energy efficiency vertical. Claire has dedicated much of her career now to helping others in the Climate space grow their careers and reach their potential.

USEFUL RESOURCES:

https://careers.powerhouse.fund/companies

https://wrisenergy.org/

https://www.womeninrenewables.org/

https://newiee.org/

In this episode, we are thrilled to have Eric Planey, the CEO at SolaBlock, joining us. Together, we delve into the anticipated trends across the CleanTech industry in 2024, particularly from an investment and growth perspective, focusing on hiring and talent trends.

Eric offers invaluable insights into transitioning into the CleanTech sector from other industries, emphasizing the essential soft skills required for career advancement in this field. We discuss our expectations and aspirations for the year ahead, while also providing resources for individuals eager to launch their careers in CleanTech.

We’re thrilled to sit down with Tim Cesarek, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at Gevo to discuss low-carbon fuels and decarbonizing aviation. We break down the current state of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels market, and a wide variety of topics including demand drivers, government incentives, and market challenges.

Tim Cesarek is the Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at Gevo – a next-generation low-carbon fuels company focused on the development and commercialization of renewable fuels. Prior to his current 5-year tenure at Gevo, he worked for notable businesses such as Enerkem as Vice President of Business Development, Waste Management, and Koch Industries as Managing Director.

We sit down with our guest Chris Shugart to discuss the topic of decarbonizing heavy industry & manufacturing by using green hydrogen and clean fuels. We break down the reasons hydrogen can be a major solution to decarbonizing heavy industry, collaboration and competition in the hydrogen and clean fuels market, and a holistic overview of the clean fuels & hydrogen market.

Chris Shugart serves as Senior Vice President of Operations, and Interim Head of Development at Ambient Fuels. Over the years he has also worked for big industry names such as Rev Renewables and Pattern Energy where he served most recently as Senior Vice President of Operations & Construction.

We sit down with our guest ⁠Mary Usovicz⁠ to discuss the applications and ways we can use clean fuels & hydrogen to decarbonize the grid. We break down the history of the hydrogen market, the reasons it has gained traction of the past few years, and the challenges we will face with fostering a cleaner, more sustainable grid.

Mary Usovicz is an independent consultant with a primary focus on the hydrogen and fuels markets. She’s worked with a number of high profile clients such as Avangrid, and First Light Power- she also serves as the Director of Business Development for the UMASS Lowell Emerging Energy Institute. She formerly served as Senior Vice President of Business Development for TRC Companies, and Vice President of External Affairs for Repsol.

She is passionate about clean energy, and also hosts her own Podcast with a focus on green hydrogen.

In our inaugural episode, we sit down with our guest ⁠Naomi Boness⁠, PhD to discuss a holistic overview of the Clean Fuels & Hydrogen markets. We break down the reasons for the current push for clean fuels, the industry applications, as well as the challenges to deploy clean fuels en mass.

​⁠Naomi Boness⁠, PhD currently serves as Co-Managing Director for the Stanford Hydrogen Initiative at Stanford University and is an advisor, and board member for various Hydrogen, and Clean Fuels businesses. She has a PhD in Geophysics from Stanford University, a Masters of Science in Geological Sciences from Indiana University, and Bachelors of Science in Geophysics and Seismology from the University of Leeds. She is passionate about clean energy, and her work at Stanford is aimed to foster new tech innovations in the clean fuels and hydrogen spaces.