RedOx Biofuels was formed to bring ligno-cellulosic ethanol (and other fuels) to market using MMR, a unique, proprietary electrochemical synthesis platform developed by Applied Intellectual Capital (AIC), RedOx's parent company. MMR's inherent flexibility means that customers can produce a range of high-value, high-performance fuels and chemicals for the automotive, aerospace, and other industries.
Our intent is to deliver modular plants optimized for producing specific fuels from specific feedstocks. By focusing on manufactured, modular plants rather than onsite construction, we believe we can offer significant benefits in terms of plant reliability and production quality. More importantly, the scalability of our electrochemical synthesis platform–combined with the modularity of our plants–means that building large-capacity, fixed facilities is not needed to reach economies of scale. RedOx is currently building mobile demonstrators sized at approximately 1,000 to 4,000 liters per day, allowing onsite demonstrations using a variety of different feedstocks.
As AIC's chief technology officer, Robert is a committed electrochemist and electrochemical engineer. Robert led the development of AIC's MMR technology and was the first to recognize the important role that electrochemical synthesis could play in the production of biofuels.
With decades of expertise in processes, materials, and device innovations, Robert's career has included substantive periods in an unusually broad range of fields, including organic chemical synthesis (CIBA, LB Holliday & Co., AIC); advanced batteries and fuel cells (Chloride Batteries, AIC); advanced clean fuels (Chevron Research, AIC); and water purification and re-use (Ecological Engineering, AIC). He has acted as a consultant in Europe, North America, Mexico, and Canada for such organizations as EPRI, HydroQuebec, Hughes Aircraft, Lockheed, DOE, ICI, and Exxon.
Robert is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a chartered chemist, and a member of the Electrochemical Society and the International Society of Electrochemistry. He is also a member of the US National Association of Corrosion engineers and a former member of the British Institute of Management.
Stan has more than 40 years of experience working in the environmental, engineering, and construction industries, focusing on the strategic management of a broad spectrum of technologies, including power systems, synfuels, chemicals, petrochemicals, metals, environmental sustainability, biotechnology, foods, consumer products, and pulp and paper. Stan's experience includes both the technical and business aspects of commercializing new technologies, including scalability, risk management, acquisition, and technology transfer.
Stan is also a member of AIC's Technology Advisory Board. Before working with AIC, Stan was vice president of technology for Fluor Daniel Corp., where he developed novel synthetic fuel technologies and implemented these at full scale. Earlier in his career, he helped design and build an oil refinery complex in Cheshire, UK, which became the site of a major petrochemical industry.
A native of New Jersey, Stan graduated with a degree in chemistry from New Jersey's Institute of Technology, where he completed post-graduate studies in Chemical Engineering. Stan also completed post graduate studies in Business Management at UCLA and at the University of Chicago.
Mark brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience as a Board Advisor to both RedOx Biofuels and AIC. Mark is also a Board Advisor of Evryx, a wireless consumer advertising venture. He is the founder and chairman of iPersona, an Internet software company providing "privacy-friendly" personalization technology for online publishers to optimize content and advertising targeting. Prior to joining iPersona, Mark was Chief Operating Officer of Mobile Wireless Technology, manufacturers of GPS and wireless data communications products. Other executive leadership roles include VP Business Development and Marketing for Data Access Technologies (document management); President of Advanced Detectors (analytical and nuclear medicine instruments); VP Marketing of Tandy/Radio Shack; Director of Channels Marketing for the Xerox Corporation; and General Manager of Plessey Peripheral Systems. He led marketing programs in storage subsystems for Memorex and launched European operations for key products with Texas Instruments.
Mark has also provided executive consulting services for clients including Hitachi, Wonderware, and FileNet. Mark holds a BS in industrial administration and engineering from Yale University and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was later a faculty member.
John is a staff scientist and principal investigator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, where he directs research programs for the US Department of Energy on new membranes for fuel cells and lithium batteries for transportation, and for new materials for battery electrolytes and organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). He has also led research into the application of electrochemistry to biological processing and sensing. Prior to joining LBNL, John worked with Aquanautics Corporation in Alameda, California, on oxygen separation and control. Previously, he worked for PPG Industries, (Pittsburgh, PA) and Occidental Chemical (Houston, TX) on organic electrosynthesis and Eveready Batteries (St. Louis, MO) on lithium batteries. He earned his BSc and PhD from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and completed post-doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota and the University of Southampton, England.
CEO Kim Ogaard-Nielsen
Kim is an entrepreneurial leader with a strong automotive and logistics industry background. With decision-making and team-building skills, developed through a variety of senior roles in different industries within a truly international environment, Kim has the credibility and knowledge to guide and shape RedOx Biofuels' entry into its key markets.
Kim was formerly chief executive officer and director of Group Lotus Plc, the renowned sports car and automotive engineering company. There, he managed a turnover of £170M and 1,400 staff worldwide from its main office in Hethel, Norfolk, and subsidiary companies in United States and Malaysia. He provided a company in transition with a clear sense of direction by engaging all stakeholders in the development and early implementation of a viable long-term strategy.
RedOx CFO Shaun O'Hara BSc, ACA
Shaun graduated from Sussex University with a degree in Chemistry and Polymer science prior to taking up an accountancy training programme at Coopers and Lybrand. Shaun qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1992. Since 1992 Shaun has gained considerable commercial and finance experience in numerous industries, including food production, insurance, leisure, and sports. In the last eight years, Shaun was the director of finance and operations for Norwich City Football Club Plc. As part of his financing duties, he was responsible for raising £15M of structured securization finance, restructuring the debt profile and working with the senior executive team on two successful public share offers. In addition, Shaun had day-to-day responsibility for the club's property development program, which included the redevelopment of the stadium and surrounding land.
CTO Dr. Richard Varjian, BSc, MSc, PhD
One of AIC's VPs of research, Dr. Richard Varjian is a recognized leader in electrochemical engineering. Richard spent 30 years with Dow Chemical Company before joining AIC; there, he worked in several Dow plants, in both corporate research laboratories and licensing and new business ventures. Richard was also responsible for collaborating with national laboratories, the US Department of Energy, and many commercial partners. Richard has always maintained that collaboration and open communication with all stakeholders are the keys to maximizing technical productivity.
With more than 10 US and international patents to his name, Richard served as chair of the guidance and evaluation board for Advanced Industrial Materials Program in the Office of Industrial Technologies for the US Department of Energy from 1990 until 2000. Additionally, Richard was a division officer and local chair of The Electrochemical Society; a member of AIChE; and a frequent contributor to professional journals specializing in electrochemistry. Richard is also the recipient of several scientific awards, including the Dow Technology Center Implementation Award and Dow's distinguished Inventor of the Year Award. A native of New Jersey, Richard graduated cum laude from Rutgers University with a degree in chemical engineering, and earned his master's degree and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois.
Head of Projects & Innovation Matthew Jones, MA, MBA
Matthew is an integral part of RedOx business development, demonstrating technology applications to potential customers and business partners. Additionally, Matthew explores complimentary technologies that will further advance RedOx's product portfolio.
Matthew started his career in the property industry, where he qualified as a chartered surveyor and ultimately managed a privately owned commercial property portfolio worth
£150M. Matthew subsequently joined Group Lotus in 2000, where he worked in several different roles directly supporting the executive management as well as leading several strategic projects. In 2007, Matthew was appointed head of marketing at Lotus Cars, and sat on the operational board of the company.
Matthew has a degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management. He is also a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Chairman Dr. Stephen R. Clarke, BSc, MSc, PhD
AIC CEO Dr. Stephen R. Clarke is chairman of RedOx Biofuels. Stephen has extensive experience in the development, funding, and commercialization of engineering and technologies based on applied science. As AIC's cofounder and CEO, Stephen's primary roles are leadership, strategy and business development, technology coach, and deal-maker; he also identifies and develops new technology commercialization opportunities for AIC.
Stephen's early career was in the design, engineering, and advanced manufacturing of aerospace gas turbines at Rolls-Royce. Following that, Stephen led a joint British Telecom and Aston University team that developed and implemented one of the world's first graphical user interfaces for enterprise management software systems. Stephen then went on to spend several years working as a turnaround consultant, first with BDO Binder Hamlyn and then with Gemini Consulting. During this time, he sold and managed assignments in business strategy, crisis management, M&A, corporate re-engineering, and supply-chain management.
AIC CFO Bob Stoffregen, JD, CPA
Robert Stoffregen began working with AIC as chief financial officer in July 2006. Bob has more than 30 years of finance and accounting experience, including work as a tax partner with Deloitte & Touche. He has acted as CFO for numerous public and pre-public companies, including The Good Guys, Reactrix, The Sharper Image, YES! Entertainment, The California Culinary Academy, Radical Entertainment, Zap Me!, and PurpleTie.com. Bob is a lawyer and certified public accountant. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Minnesota at Duluth and a Juris Doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law.
Kim Ogaard-Nielsen and Shaun O'Hara, profiled above, are also members of the Advisory Board.
