People and organizations change in order to grow. Since I joined General Fusion over two years ago, the team has ushered in many exciting advances. We have seen our staff triple in number, established partnerships worldwide, and recruited a world-class management team. I take the helm as CEO at a time when General Fusion is in a good position for the company’s next phase of demonstration and commercialization.
The team’s commitment and vision inspire many of us — General Fusion’s excellent staff is a major part of the reason I am fortunate to take the baton in this race to the future.
A chief financial officer gets to know a company from the inside out. Numbers offer a common language that previews the prospects for creating value across an organization. Now, I am excited to apply that knowledge and continue to lead the team as we look for ways to expand the value of General Fusion as a business.
Everyone at General Fusion is committed to trying to solve fusion and transform the world’s energy systems. A stroll through any of our labs or offices will reveal the team’s shared awareness: our long-term endeavor is urgent today. It’s hard to turn on the news and not be reminded why we come to work each day. Extreme weather, wildfires, pandemics, water shortages… the crucial need for carbon-free energy options confronts us.
General Fusion has recruited an outstanding group of experts to support its mission. Activating this diverse set of resources is critical to successful commercialization. As CEO, I will transverse the varied aspects of our business that must move in an orchestrated way to get General Fusion to the next level. We will focus on bringing together the scientific and engineering expertise to advance our R&D and complete the fusion demonstration program. We will continue to maintain and expand our strategic partnerships and customer development. Internal and external functions at the company carry equal importance in scaling fast.
I have learned over the last twenty years that oversight of the financial side of companies offers terrific insights on the operations side. I spent my early career working with founders and technology leaders to find ways to generate value. My expertise is in bringing people together around the technology. Raising capital is central to General Fusion’s business strategy, and I will continue bringing people together to align interests and goals to commercialize General Fusion’s technology successfully.
General Fusion is moving at an extremely fast pace to solve an enormous challenge. As CEO, I expect to keep this pace. The design of our fusion machine is in the final stages. We are in the process of securing our supply chain. We are also moving into a bigger facility near YVR airport, where we will build larger, next-generation test beds to support the fusion demonstration project.
Our success relies on the sound technical roadmap to practical fusion. The intense spirit of innovation and dedication among the people at General Fusion ensures we can sustain the necessary effort to arrive at our destination – commercial fusion energy. In this context, I am excited to introduce myself as the company’s new CEO. Over the next weeks and months, I look forward to engaging with everyone who makes this journey possible.
