Austrade (1): US commercialisation strategies - moving the lab to the market

Panelist biographies

Chair: Alison McGuigan-Lewis, Senior Trade Commissioner and Head of US Operations, Austrade

In September 2007 Alison commenced as Minister (Commercial) and Senior Trade Commissioner in Washington DC. She is responsible for Austrade’s operations in the USA; with a particular focus on education and the commercialisation of technology sectors.

This follows successful previous appointments with Austrade in London, Budapest and Melbourne. She was also responsible for the Global ICT team and then the European High-tech team, which were virtual sector teams across a range of international markets.

Alison joined Austrade following private sector experience with Euromoney/AIC in Sydney and South Africa, where she managed profitable IT marketing teams. She began her career as a researcher at CIRCIT (Centre for Research on Communications and Information Technologies) during the period of telecommunications deregulation in Australia.

She graduated from the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) in Law and Psychology (BA/LLB), and was admitted to practice as a Solicitor in New South Wales (Australia). She also holds teaching qualifications in speech and drama from Trinity College (London), which she used to pay her way through university, teaching a small troupe of primary school children.

Alan Haggerty, Program Management Director of Research and Development, Lockheed Martin
Alan Haggerty is currently Program Management Director of Research and Development for the Mission Systems and Sensors New Ventures group within the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Mr. Haggerty coordinates R&D for renewable energy programs and other new business areas as well as advanced radar systems. He is responsible for outreach to small companies and developing partnerships on advanced technologies, and assists international marketing and business development efforts.

Mr. Haggerty served as Deputy under Secretary of Defence for International Technology Security from 2006 to 2009. He was responsible for the creation and maintenance of the Militarily Critical Technologies List, reporting directly to the Director, Defence Research and Engineering, (DDR&E). In this role, Mr. Haggerty was also responsible for coordinating with counterparts in the Departments of Commerce and State to inform the export licensing and control processes, and partnered with the FBI, Intelligence, and Counterintelligence communities to coordinate protection of the defence industrial base against conventional and cyber espionage.

Prior to serving as Deputy under Secretary, Mr. Haggerty was Vice President and division manager for Information Systems Laboratories, a small defence technology firm located in San Diego, managing the firm’s Washington offices. Previously, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for 27 years, retiring as a Captain (O-6) in 2005. During his naval career, he served 12 years in a variety of at-sea assignments, followed by 15 years service as an Engineering Duty Officer in acquisition assignments, including work at the Cruise Missiles Project on the Tomahawk missile system, the Ballistic Missile Defence Organization (now Missile Defence Agency) and at the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Aegis Project.

Mr. Haggerty’s final significant assignment before retirement from the Navy was as Major Program Manager for Above Water Sensors at the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems, a post which he created and held for four years. He was responsible for management of all surface and submarine radar and electronic warfare programs, and was in charge of both the AEGIS system’s SPY-1 radar and the new radar suite development for the DDG-1000 program. He created a major new development program which will result in the vitally-needed replacement of a major national asset for ballistic missile data collection (Cobra Judy) and which will lead directly to a new generation of solid-state naval radars.

Mr. Haggerty holds a Bachelor of Science degree in earth science from Oregon State University, and a masters’ degree in engineering science, concentrating in combat systems engineering, from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He is certified under the Defence Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act standards at highest levels in program management and systems engineering. He holds numerous military awards, including the Legion of Merit and Defence Meritorious Service Medal. He is married, and lives with his wife Patricia in northern Virginia.

Marc Solomon, Founder and Managing Principal, Policy Capital Advisors

Marc Solomon is the founder and managing principal at Policy Capital Advisors and is based in New York.  The firm specializes in energy commercialization and project finance.  PCA partners with clean energy/infrastructure investors and owners, project developers, universities and governments to navigate opportunities at the nexus of capital, public policy, energy and technology.

Prior to founding PCA, Mr. Solomon was a Director at Merrill Lynch in New York, where he helped build the equity financing platform for hedge funds in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. During his nine-year tenure at the bank, he focused on funds exploring opportunities in carbon trading, renewable energy, and climate, laying the foundation for his strong relationships with funds and investors in the industry. Mr. Solomon’s expertise also benefits from his background serving operating roles in two technology firms, as well as his three years leading a start-up cable television and internet venture.

He has always enjoyed a great interest in public policy, having begun his career as a field operative and state director for the late Sen. Paul Simon's presidential campaign in 1988. He continues to serve his community through the Clean Economy Network and the Bowery Residents Committee, a leading provider of housing and services to well over ten thousand of New York City's neediest individuals.

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Melanie Kenderdine, Executive Director, MIT Energy Initiative
Melanie A. Kenderdine joined the MIT Energy Initiative in March 2007. Melanie is a member of a three-person leadership team of the Initiative, responsible for its implementation and the development of long-range strategies for its activities, management and growth. Prior to joining MIT, she was vice president of the Gas Technology Institute for Washington operations, where she was involved in major initiatives to increase domestic natural gas supply, enhance energy efficiency and security and promote the research needs of the natural gas industry. From 1993 to 2001, Melanie served in several key posts at the U.S. Department of Energy, including director of the Office of Policy and senior advisor to the secretary. Kenderdine has testified before Congress on many occasions, has served on numerous energy task forces and is a frequent speaker at international energy conferences, including the World Petroleum Congress, IEA’s International Energy Experts Conference in Abu Dhabi and the Turkish War College in Istanbul.

 
Paul Fox, Partner, CalCEF Clean Energy Angel Fund, San Francisco, USA
Paul Fox is a partner at the CalCEF Clean Energy Angel Fund, a seed stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco. He is a green-tech veteran, having worked as an engineer, strategy consultant, and CEO of several start- ups.

The Fund's mission is to close the seed funding gap in clean energy by promoting early stage investing, while delivering attractive returns to Limited Partners. Deeply connected in California's clean energy community, and with an experienced cleantech team, the CalCEF Angel Fund applies institutional disciplines to early stage investing, while providing a unique level of transparency and participation for Limited Partners.

Paul was the founder of CT tech2mkt, a technology commercialization firm, which helped launch several Australian companies in the US, including Xerocoat, a solar start-up backed by Nth Power and SXVP. Other projects included water treatment, solar financing, sensor networks, energy storage and green buildings. CT tech2mkt also supports several Australian research universities and Invest Victoria in the US market.

Previously, Paul was founding CEO of SC Power Systems, a superconductor company using Australian technology, now listed on the AIM as Zenergy (ZEN). Under Paul’s leadership, the company developed a product, secured utility pilots in the US, acquired a company in Germany, and raised money from investors in Europe.

In prior roles, Paul was a VP at Flextronics; the CEO of a fuel cell company; built the first mobile phones in Hungary; was a strategy consultant during the de-regulation of the Australian electricity markets; and was national operations manager for one of Australia’s largest construction organizations.

Paul began his career building water and power systems in remote localities, winning kudos from the United Nations and Government of Papua New Guinea. He also invented and deployed a hydro-pneumatic pile driving system for use in wetlands. Paul has an MBA from Monash University, a Graduate Diploma from the University of Queensland, and a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from the University of New South Wales.