- a Getech Group company focused on developing and operating green hydrogen hub infrastructure
Q1. What is your background?
I’m a Systems Engineer by training, and a Chartered Engineer with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. I’ve worked in several industries over my career to date, and have tried to make sure that I’ve developed a broad understanding of these different sectors, to ensure that my decision making always has a big-picture element to it. Early on in my career, I was focused on technical integration and optimisation systems, and then moved into more organisational and business growth roles, which is something I’m very passionate about.
Q2. What projects did you work on in the past?
I’ve worked on aircrafts, bulldozers, diesel engines, hydrogen fuel cells and heavy-duty vehicles. At Caterpillar Inc., I led the electronic controls development for their best-selling medium-sized bulldozer at the time, which Sir Ranulph Fiennes took to Antarctica in an attempt to cross the continent.
Q3. What brought you to join H2 Green?
I’ve been working in the demand side of hydrogen since late 2013, and I have seen it grow into a fairly mature industry, with most players making good progress towards offering products to the market. I really felt that now that this is in the growth phase, I should do my bit to bring along the supply side of the hydrogen industry, which is really only just developing.
Q4. What have been the significant green hydrogen developments in the UK in the past year?
In the UK, we’re doing a great job of developing some of the major component technologies for green hydrogen production, and have a fantastic base of oil and gas skills to leverage. Now we need businesses like Getech / H2 Green to pull these key parts together and develop an industry more or less from scratch.
Q5. What do you think the UK needs to do to be a global leader in hydrogen?
From both the supply and demand side of hydrogen, I think the key thing here is to be able to show people what hydrogen can do, by demonstrating as many different applications as possible. By showcasing the whole value chain in operation, in a cost-effective and reliable manner across many applications, the UK will certainly be seen as a global leader in hydrogen, but we must move quickly.
Q6. Is there a need to accelerate innovation in green hydrogen?
I’d like to see more UK-based product development in the supporting equipment for green hydrogen production, as it’s always easier to deal with local suppliers. We’ll also need skills growth to enable effective operation of green hydrogen assets
Q7. How do you see the green hydrogen market developing over the coming years?
From my experience of dealing with end users over the last few (8!) years, I really believe that there is a strong appetite for green hydrogen. Anything that’s not green is just moving the problem around, and end users, local authorities and the government all are cognisant of this today. With this in mind, the demand for green hydrogen will soon be large, and the supply probably won’t be able to keep up with the demand.
Q8. What excites you most about the future prospects of the Company?
The market opportunity for green hydrogen is huge, and helping our team to grow and impact the industry is something that really gets me out of bed in the morning. It genuinely is an exciting opportunity for Getech / H2 Green and the team are a great bunch that I know can deliver.
Q9. What does the typical day of an Engineering Director look like?
I manage to get involved in all aspects of the business, right from commercial and business development through to working out how much hydrogen someone might use in a week. The variety of work in any role is always wide-ranging in small and medium businesses, and that’s why I like it. Every day is different!
Q10. What do you like to do outside of work?
I’m a big rugby fan, and play a bit of touch rugby now that I’m older which is a great way to socialise and keep fit without getting injured! I’ve also delved into amateur archaeology over the last couple of years since making a discovery on the land that my dad farms. My wife and kids kindly humour me on this, but for me it’s been fantastic to learn about something completely new that I previously knew very little about.
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