Sandeep Nijhawan is the co-founder and CEO of Electra. Sandeep has been at the center of deep-technology and venture investments for over 20 years, leading international companies and garage-based start-ups, transforming nascent ideas into global enterprises. Prior to starting Electra in 2020, he was an operating partner of True North Venture Partners and president of two electrochemistry-focused cleantech startups: AquaHydrex, which developed an electrolyzer for the hydrogen economy, and Staq Energy, which developed distributed energy storage solutions. Earlier in his career, he served as Senior Vice President at Intermolecular, specializing in accelerating R&D of innovative materials for electronics; founded and was CEO of LED start-up Siorah Incorporated; and incubated Applied Materials’ LED business from concept to commercialization.

Sandeep has a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology - Kanpur, India, a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the International Institute of Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

With over 20 years of experience in international finance and commercial leadership at fast-growing start-ups and established Fortune 500 companies, James understands the global financial landscapes of both project finance and fundraising. Most recently, as North America CFO at Northvolt, James worked to secure private and public funding to project-finance a $5 Billion lithium-ion battery production plant. His deep understanding of the intersection of finance and the energy and infrastructure sectors will be vital as Electra reaches commercial scale.

James is a Professionally Qualified Chartered Accountant (FCA) and received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham, and a Master of Business Administration from Cass Business School in London.

Keith leads Electra’s commercial strategy, bringing more than two decades of steel industry experience spanning operations, marketing, and market development. Before joining Electra, he served as Chief Commercial Officer at Flack Global Metals, where he integrated commercial teams following key acquisitions and helped customers adopt innovative financial tools to manage price volatility.

Previously, Keith was Chief Commercial Officer at Big River Steel, where he played a pivotal role in the company’s startup and expansion, overseeing sales, marketing, and technical services. He began his career at United States Steel Corporation, where he spent 18 years in commercial leadership roles across the U.S. and Europe.

Keith holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Alabama, with a concentration in Management Information Systems and a minor in Computer Science.

Karen brings over 25 years of experience building and leading high performing global teams for rapidly scaling organizations. A results-oriented leader, Karen has developed and operationalized human resource strategies that engage employees in highly competitive markets. She has spearheaded workforce planning, implemented government funding training programs, provided oversight for HR on a significant number of mergers and acquisitions on a global scale, and facilitated change management initiatives to support organizational goals. Prior to joining Electra, Karen was the CHRO for Genapsys, a developer of next-generation DNA sequencing technology. Before that, she led HR organizations at ArcherDx, Market Force Information, and Intrado and supported their growth from 100 employees to over 1,100 employees with global, multisite operations.

Karen studied Human Resource Management at Regis University. She obtained her Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR) certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), as well as her Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certification from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Jamie Wolfe leads enterprise program management, corporate planning, critical strategic initiatives, and executive governance for Electra. With more than 15 years of leadership experience spanning clean technology, electric vehicles, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and industrial project development, Jamie has built a career at the intersection of new product development, business transformation, and operational scale-up. She specializes in translating ambitious growth strategies into executable programs, leading organizations through periods of rapid expansion, operational turnaround, and organizational change. Prior to Electra, Jamie held senior leadership roles at Northvolt, Tesla, and Bombardier Aerospace. 

In addition to her industry leadership, Jamie has contributed to the academic community through teaching and mentorship, including serving as a professor at McGill University. Jamie holds degrees from McGill University and a Master of Business Administration, Corporate Strategy from Queen's University. 

Kevin is a distinguished engineering leader with over 15 years of experience in the development and scaling of advanced electrochemical systems and sustainable technologies. As Vice President of Product at Electra, he has played a pivotal role in transforming the company from its early startup phase into a fully operational enterprise dedicated to decarbonizing the steel industry through clean energy innovations. With extensive expertise in advancing novel technologies from concept to pilot and commercial deployment, Kevin combines strategic vision with deep technical acumen to drive groundbreaking industrial solutions.

Prior to Electra, Kevin held leadership roles at AES Distributed Energy, Staq Energy, and ViZn Energy, where he spearheaded the development of large-scale battery systems, microgrid controls, and battery testing infrastructure. His career encompasses the full product lifecycle—from lab-scale research to commercial implementation—characterized by a steadfast commitment to innovation, team development, and environmental stewardship.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics and a Master of Science in Materials Science from the Colorado School of Mines.

Ben brings more than two decades of global experience delivering complex industrial projects that bridge breakthrough innovation and large-scale deployment. At Electra, he leads the development of the company’s first commercial and demonstration facilities, translating Electra’s clean iron technology into scalable, bankable industrial infrastructure.

Before joining Electra, Ben was a Director at Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, where he led project development and execution within a $1.5 billion investment program advancing next-generation decarbonization projects across North America and Europe. Earlier in his career, he spent 18 years at Bechtel, one of the world’s leading engineering, procurement, and construction firms, overseeing major energy and infrastructure programs from concept through operations across multiple regions.

Ben holds a Master of Engineering from the University of Birmingham, U.K., and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Simon has been leading multi-country strategy development and implementation for global mining and mineral assets for over 40 years. An accomplished C-suite leader and a Non-Executive Director of Magnetite Mines Limited, he has focused his expertise in the resource sector on maximizing value while achieving decarbonization goals. He was most recently CEO of ArcelorMittal Mining and has held senior executive roles at Ferrexpo, Destra and BHP Billiton with experience leading international teams in Australia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Canada and the USA.

With more than 40 years of experience as a leader and innovator within the mining industry, Ian Pearce has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the mining sector. He has held senior engineering and project management roles at Fluor Inc. and executive roles at Falconbridge Limited and Xstrata Nickel. He currently serves as the Non-Executive Director of NextSource Materials, Inc., Northland Power Inc., and Metso Outotec, and is the Chair and Non-Executive Director of New Gold Inc. Ian is the Incoming President Elect(2024 -2025) of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) and a Senior Advisor at KoBold Metals and MineSense Technologies. He holds an Engineering HND in Mineral Processing and a BSc degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He also attended the Management Advancement Program at the University of the Witwatersrand and received strategic and general management training at Henley College in the United Kingdom.

With over two decades of technical and senior executive experience in the steel sector, Francois understands the voice of the customer and the need for sustainable development. An accomplished team builder known for collaboration and a comprehensive approach to stakeholder engagement, he will accelerate Electra’s path to market while prioritizing the health and safety of our team and communities. He was most recently President & CEO of Tergeo Critical Minerals, and prior to that held several C-suite positions at ArcleorMittal, including President & CEO of ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada. Francois has also been Chairman of Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA), Chairman of the Quebec Industrial Electricity Consumers (AQCIE), and Chairman of the Industrial Gas Users Association (IGUA). He holds a Bachelor degree in metallurgical engineering from Laval University and the Michigan Technological University (MTU) and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Sherbrooke University.

Ken has been growing, advising, and investing in technology companies for over thirty years.  He has worked in pre-revenue companies in the communications, semiconductor, and energy industries where he was responsible for defining new product offerings, bringing new products to market that captured leading market share, and driving revenue growth that achieved substantial liquidity events for investors. Ken has also served as an Executive Officer in three public companies and was EVP at First Solar when the company was pre-revenue through its transition to being a multi-billion-dollar public company. He has served as a board member and advisor in multiple early-stage technology companies and was most recently an Operating Partner at Energy Innovation Capital focused on assisting portfolio companies with product commercialization and go-to-market execution. 

Ralf Haessig brings more than three decades of global supply chain and procurement leadership across metals, materials, and advanced manufacturing. He spent nearly 12 years at ZF Group, one of the world's largest automotive technology suppliers, in a series of increasingly strategic roles — Director of Commodity for High Pressure Die Casting Medium, Director of the House of Competence Casting, and most recently Senior Expert for Green Materials within Corporate Purchasing Sustainability. In that final role, he worked to decarbonize supply chain materials and integrate lower-carbon inputs across a global manufacturing footprint.

Before ZF, Ralf was Vice President Supply at Outotec, the €2B Finnish technology company specializing in minerals processing, metals refining, energy production, and industrial water treatment. He built a global purchasing organization from the ground up and managed €450M in annual spend across the Metals, Energy & Water Division — operational fluency inside a metals refining technology company that translates directly as Electra scales from demonstration to commercial deployment.

Earlier, Ralf spent nearly 20 years at Adam Opel AG and General Motors, rising from buyer to Global Commodity Manager for Powertrain, where he oversaw €850M in purchasing and delivered consistent cost savings through supplier strategy and market development.

An entrepreneur and academic, Dan has been redefining the boundaries of electrochemical energy storage for over a decade, transforming failure mechanisms into beneficial solutions. His enthusiasm for sustainable development can be traced back to grad school when a cross country road trip on Highway 40 in rural Arkansas exposed our reliance on foreign oil and unsustainable fuel sources. What started as geopolitical curiosity later gave way to an immutable interest in the environment. He has founded multiple startups, served as an associate professor at Princeton, and is currently an associate professor of chemical metallurgy at Columbia University, and is the co-director of the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center.