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Asia-based, West-oriented, cleantech focused
The challenges associated with APAC cleantech business development are diverse. ACG’s team reflects this diversity, containing as it does a blend of cleantech market expertise, APAC region business development experience, and multilingual ability.
Together, ACG’s team has over 60 years cleantech sector and 30 years APAC business development experience. We can work in English, Japanese, or Mandarin Chinese.
Management Team
Dr. Mike Hugh, CEO
Dr. Mike Hugh has been involved in the cleantech sector for over 12 years, in academia and industry. He worked as senior analyst covering the APAC region for Johnson Matthey plc., and managed a multimillion pound sterling cleantech brokering program for the UK government for 2 years. Mike also worked as a research fellow in Portugal leading a major low carbon economy roadmapping project for the European Commission. He has consulted for blue chip companies in Europe, the US and Japan, and has been interviewed on cleantech issues by a number of press publications including the Financial Times and the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. Mike holds BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in environmental technology and policy from Imperial College London (UK). He is a British citizen, lives in Nagoya (Japan), and speaks business level Japanese.
Hirotoshi Ono, COO, China General Manager
Hirotoshi Ono has long experience of APAC region business development, setting up in Shanghai the Asia Headquarters of an internationally leading localization company as General Manager and growing the business to a value of US$4.5m in 2009. Hiro has also worked as China Territory Manager for Microsoft, leading the implementation of the global channel strategy and managing a budget of US$52m. He holds BSc and MSc degrees in computer science and business from the University of London (UK). Hiro is a Japanese citizen, lives in Shanghai (China), and speaks fluent English, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.
Alex Bird, Director, Japan General Manager
Alex Bird has been living and working in Japan for 10 years. Since 2005 he has been helping foreign companies with their market entry strategy for the Japan and Korea markets as an ‘on the ground’ sales/marketing representative. Alex has conducted Japan business development initiatives for companies in various technology markets including fuel cells, microdisplays, RF/baseband semiconductors, fixed mobile convergence telecom, and healthcare software. He has a First Class Honours degree in Japanese Language and Japanese studies awarded by the University of Southampton (UK). Alex is a British citizen, lives in Tokyo (Japan), and speaks fluent Japanese.
Dr. Tom Houghton, Strategic Director, Europe General Manager
Dr. Tom Houghton brings a wealth of commercial experience in the energy-engineering sector having worked as a project manager for Alstom Power Plants. He has an established track record of assisting technology companies to realise their corporate goals and brings significant Europe-Japan interaction experience. Tom holds an MEng degree from Imperial College (UK), an MBA from London Business School, and a PhD in the field of hydrogen energy economics from the University of Strathclyde. He is a British citizen, lives in the UK, and speaks fluent French and intermediate level Spanish.
Chris Brown, North America General Manager
Mr. Chris Brown has worked in China energy policy analysis and consulting for over ten years in the US government, for private companies and independently. Most recently, he has been a consultant for Itochu as they have entered the North American solar industry and has worked with Applied Materials to expand their China photovoltaic sector business. Chris has managed China energy research projects at the Gerson Lehrman Group and Ergo Advisors in New York. He was also a senior China energy research analyst for the CENTRA consulting company in Washington D.C. Chris was a China political analyst and Mandarin linguist at the US Department of Defense from 1998 to 2004. While in that position, he co-authored a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), briefed the highest levels of US Department of Defense leadership on China policy issues, and has written extensively on China’s emerging world power status. He received his master’s degree in China Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle. Chris is an American citizen, lives in New York (United States), and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.
William Jin, China Markets Researcher
William Jin’s background is in mechanical engineering and materials analysis. His specific area of expertise is silicon materials, and he is familiar with all the processes of the silicon supply chain. He worked as a project engineer two years, investigating laser-sintered powder materials as part of China’s National High Technology Research and Development (“863″) Program, and as a process engineer for two years before that. From his time covering the solar sector as a analyst for CCVI Bearing Industries Ltd., Will has a great interest in cleantech business intelligence. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from China’s University of Mining and Technology. Will is a Chinese citizen, lives in Shanghai, and speaks Mandarin and intermediate level English.
Advisory Team
Dr. David Hart
David is recognised as one of the leading experts in fuel cells used for both transport and stationary decentralised power generation; hydrogen energy technology and infrastructure; and the associated strategy, business, market, policy and environmental issues. He has led over a dozen fuel cell and hydrogen assessments for due diligence work, in addition to strategic analyses and a wide variety of reports and papers, and has been an invited keynote speaker on fuel cell and hydrogen issues on five continents.
David holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering with German from the University of Bath and in Environmental Technology from Imperial College. His PhD at Imperial College was in Hydrogen Energy Systems. He has worked in Germany and Japan as a control systems engineer, and speaks English, German, French and Japanese.
Mr. Robert Rose
Robert also founded the Breakthrough Technologies Institute, an independent nonprofit advocate for technologies that carry environmental benefits to society. BTI’s fuel cell education program, Fuel Cells 2000, was launched in 1993 and is internationally recognized.
In a career spanning more than 30 years in Washington, DC, Rose has served in senior communications and policy positions in the U.S. government, and provided consulting service, advice and successful advocacy to a wide range of public and private sector clients. As an advocate, Rose helped clients achieve significant legislative and research funding goals. Rose has written or edited several books and dozens of articles, and appeared before Committees of Congress. He has numerous other writing and speaking credits and is a frequent news source.
Robert is the 2004 recipient of the Fuel Cell Seminar Award, the most prestigious of its kind in the U.S., and in 2010 received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the National Hydrogen Association.
Mr. Brent McKendry
Currently Brent is the founder and CEO of Nomadic Fuel Cells, a fuel cell systems company that builds custom fuel cell solutions for industrial and military markets. Brent spends his time between Irvine CA and Taipei Taiwan, and speaks English and Mandarin Chinese.
Ms. Caroline John
Caroline has an Master’s degree in Electronic Communication & Publishing from University College London.