OUR TEAM IS YOURS
Management Team
Dr Sharon Blair
HyPlat CEO
Sharon is the founder, CEO and a Director of HyPlat. Prior to her move to South Africa in 2012, Sharon had more than 15 years industry experience in nanomaterials, batteries and fuel cells in business and technology development, and as an executive and consultant for startup companies. She was also co-founder of the fuel cell company, Tekion. Sharon has a Doctorate degree in Materials Chemistry from Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Rainer Wellmanns
Business Development Manager
Rainer is HyPlat’s Business Development Manager. With an MBA from the UCT Graduate School of Business, and a masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Johannesburg, Rainer brings a wealth of experience in leading teams, project management and business development. His six years of engineering consulting experience provides a firm foundation for the development and growth of HyPlat as a professional and trusted partner within the hydrogen fuel cell industry.
Duarte Sousa
MEA Specialist
Duarte Sousa joins the HyPlat team as an MEA Specialist. He is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt with over 28 years of manufacturing experience, 15 of those with Ballard Power Systems in MEA process and product development. He brings leadership in lean manufacturing, quality assurance, innovation, and team building.
Dr Gary Pattrick
Head of Catalysis at Mintek
Dr Pattrick is responsible as Contract Director and technical specialist for managing the catalyst and MEA development activities at the Mintek branch of the HySA Catalysis Competence Centre. He graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1997 with a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry. He has moved up the ranks at Mintek and is currently Head: Catalysis in the Advanced Materials Division of Mintek. His team is responsible for manufacturing HyPlat’s fuel cell catalysts.
Nabeel Hussain
Operations Manager
Nabeel is HyPlat’s Operations Manager and has 8+ years of experience in fuel cell component design, product development and process engineering. He is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt and also holds an MSc in Chemical Engineering and a PGDip in Business Administration from UCT’s Graduate School of Business. He is the technical point of contact for HyPlat’s customers.
Directors & Advisors
Board of Directors
Alex Watson
Alexandra Watson is the Richard Sonnenberg Professor of Accounting at the University of Cape Town. She is a Board member of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a member of the South African Integrated Reporting Committee Working Group, a member of South Africa’s Financial Reporting Investigations Panel. She is an independent director and chair of the audit committee of a listed fund management company and a member of the adjudicating panel of the Ernst & Young Excellence in Integrated Reporting award.
Dr Makhapa Makhafola
General Manager: Research & Development at Mintek
Dr Makhafola is currently the General Manager: Research & Development at Mintek. He worked as Lecturer in Analytical Chemistry at Technikon Northern Gauteng (now called Tshwane University of Technology) and University of Venda. In 2004 was appointed Director: Quality Assurance at Border Technikon (now Walter Sisulu University). Dr Makhafola was the Director: Quality Assurance at the University of Venda until he joined University of Kwa-Zulu Natal as the Director Quality Promotion & Assurance in July 2010.
Dr Makhafola served as member of Umalusi Council and as Chairperson of Lovedale FET College Audit Committee. He is currently the Chairperson of DST/MINTEK Nanotechnology Innovation Centre Steering Committee. He served as a member of the Higher Education Quality Assurance Manager’s Forum. He is also serving as an academic committee member of QS World Ranking Universities. Dr Makhafola did post-doctoral training in Analytical Chemistry at Indiana University.
Dr Sharon Blair
CEO and a Director of HyPlat
Sharon is the founder, CEO and a Director of HyPlat. Prior to her move to South Africa in 2012, Sharon had more than 15 years industry experience in nanomaterials, batteries and fuel cells in business and technology development, and as an executive and consultant for startup companies. She was also co-founder of the fuel cell company, Tekion. Sharon has a Doctorate degree in Materials Chemistry from Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Advisors
Dr Kerry-Ann Adamson
CEO at 4th Energy Wave
Kerry-Ann is a fuel cell market specialist with expertise in hydrogen energy storage. Based in the United Kingdom, Kerry-Ann brings over 14 years of industry experience in hydrogen and fuel cell market analysis and reporting. She serves as CEO of 4th Energy Wave, a company covering stationary, transport and portable fuel cells; the market and its associated companies while providing insight into the cleantech space.
David Raffa
M&A advisor and corporate finance expert
David has had several business careers: from scientist at an environmental engineering firm to corporate lawyer, to founder and portfolio manager of a $100 million investment fund, to corporate advisor, angel investor and board member for public and private companies, and now independent investment banker for small cap industrial and technology companies (see also www.davidraffa.com). During his career he has helped build multiple technology companies. He has co-founded several companies, been on the board of over 30 companies (often as the chairman or executive board member) and has directly led the successful sale of many of them.
Dr Jens Muller
Business Development Consultant
Jens has extensive FC industry, startup and financing experience and a wide network. He is the previous founder, CTO, COO and non-exec board member of SFC leading the company to a highly successful IPO. He has repeatedly managed innovation to industrial levels (“from lab to fab”) and has broad international boardroom experience in technology companies.
Waldo Steyn
Director at ENSafrica
Waldo Steyn has focused on the practice of law as it relates to intellectual property since 2001 when he started my legal career in South Africa. He gained experience working in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Jersey (Channel Islands) and the United Arab Emirates and has managed the trade mark, copyright and design aspects of large IP portfolios throughout Africa and the Middle East. He has considerable experience in providing clients with strategic advice on brand development, protection, maintenance and enforcement.
He advises clients on a wide range of intellectual property transactional matters including licensing, franchising, research and development, sales, corporate structuring, confidentiality, South African exchange control regulations and due diligence investigations, as well as intellectual property valuation and royalty rate benchmarking.