We are ZeroAvia
A team of passionate innovators dedicated to bringing safe, zero-emission flight to aviation
How we do it
First Principles Thinking
Asking questions, creating solutions, solving problems
One Team, One Goal
Working together as one towards our mission
Challenge the Status Quo
Seeing the world as it could be, not as it is
Can Do Attitude
Taking radical ownership and focussing on results
Management Team
Valery Miftakhov
FOUNDER & CEO
Serial cleantech entrepreneur - Founder and CEO of leading EV charging business eMotorWerks (acquired by Enel in 2017). Previously Executive at Google, McKinsey and Nielsen. Avid Pilot (fixed wing and rotorcraft). MS Physics, MIPT and Ph.D. Physics, Princeton.
Youcef Abdelli
CTO, PROPULSION
Seasoned Electric Aviation Propulsion Engineer with Senior Positions at Amazon Prime Air, magniX, Liebherr and Airbus. Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, Polytech Nantes.
Katya Akulinicheva
CFO
CIO/Head of VC at SYSTEMIQ; Previously Private Equity at RDIF ($2bn SWF); M&A at Deutsche Bank and Lazard. BA/MA Politics & Economics, Oxford and MBA, INSEAD.
Dominic Cheater
HEAD OF DOA & AIRWORTHINESS
Chief Engineer at Babcock; Previously Senior Airworthiness roles at Airbus Helicopters, QinetiQ, Eurocopter. MS Aircraft Safety, Cranfield University, Commercial Pilot.
Toni Burgos Mensching
HEAD OF SPECIAL PROJECTS
Chairman at Alpha Eta Rho; VP Marketing & BD at Flight Research; Director of Ops at AOPA; Pilot at US Airways and Clay Lacy, FedEx Pilot Recruitment, BA Flight Ops and MBA Commercial Aviation.
James Peck
VP BD
VP of Customers for Rolls-Royce; 30 years in engine sales and aftermarket support for Rolls Royce, Royal Aero, Timken and Carlisle. MEng/Business Studies at University of Derby.
Sergey Kiselev
CCO, VP EUROPE
Head of Europe at eMotorWerks (acquired in 2017). Hitachi, Head of e-Mobility at Enel X, Previously Partner at McKinsey & Co. MS Physics, MIPT and Ph.D. Physics, Cornell.
Rudolf Coertze
CTO, HYDROGEN
Over two decades of experience in Fuel Cell Technologies - Fuel Cell Powertrain Development Lead at FCP FC; Senior positions at Daimler AG and Ballard.
James McMicking
VP STRATEGY
Co-Founder and CSO of Aerospace Technology Institute; Previously at Booz & Co, Ricardo, JCB. MEng, University of Bath and MBA, Kellogg.
Arnab Chatterjee
VP INFRASTRUCTURE
Global H2 Technology Program Manager at Shell; Previously Product at Bioamber, VC at Sofinnova Partners, McKinsey. MChem and DPhil, Chemistry, Oxford; MBA, INSEAD.
Deanna Brown
VP LEGAL
Associate GC at Viasat; Senior DIrector of Legal at Skyworks; Private Practice at Pepper Hamilton and Wilson Sonsini; J.D. Law at BUY.
Gabriel DeVault
HEAD OF GROUND TESTING
Serial entrepreneur - early team member at Joby Aviation, founding team at Zero Motorcycles, Founding team at InspecTools (acquired 2018); Private pilot.
Advisory Board
Christine Ourmières-Widener
AIRLINE OPERATOR ADVISOR
Seasoned airline senior exec: CEO TAP Portugal; CEO FlyBe, CEO CityJet, 25+ years at AirFrance KLM (VP/GM US, GM UK & Ireland), IATA Board of Governors, Royal Aero Society MA Aeronautics, MBA
Sir Timo Anderson
REGULATORY & SAFETY ADVISOR
RAF fighter jet pilot, UK Air Marshall, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of UK Air Command, Director-General of UK Military Aviation Authority, Chairman of the UK Airspace Steering Committee. Belfast Royal Academy; MA @King’s College London
Mark Blair
AVIATION INDUSTRY ADVISOR
FedEx Express VP (retired) - Air Operations, Aircraft Base & Maintenance, Propulsion Maintenance, Aircraft Acquisitions. Cessna Aircraft Company - Director, Fleet Sales
Andrew Patton
BUSINESS ADVISOR
Google (Wing, X), GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Titan Aerospace, Boeing; Aerobatic Pilot; Princeton Mech & Aerospace; Stanford MBA
Jamie Hyneman
TECHNICAL ADVISOR
Machinist, Special Effects, Out-of-the-box solutions expert, Founder & co-host of Mythbusters 2003-2018
Mike Friend
AIRCRAFT INTEGRATION ADVISOR
35 years @Boeing, Head of world’s first manned fuel cell aircraft project Boeing, Chief Engineer New Aircraft Development Boeing, Mitsubishi Aircraft;Aero Engineering, UI Urbana-Champaign
Andy Brown
FUELING INFRASTRUCTURE ADVISOR
CEO of Galp Energia. Previously 35 years at Shell, Head of Upstream Division - $100B+ in capital deployed over 30 countries; Member of the Shell Executive Committee, reported to CEO of Shell Group
John Uczekaj
AVIATION INDUSTRY RELATIONS ADVISOR
CEO & President, Aspen Avionics; EVP & GM, Honeywell; Board Member, General Aviation Manufacturers Association; 2012 honoree, Living Legends of Aviation (Entrepreneur of the Year)
Roger Atkins
EV BUSINESS ADVISOR
Founder EVOutlook; LinkedIn Top Voice; Advisory Board Member with Momentum Dynamics, Energy Disruptors, RENU ventures. Brand Ambassador of Rimac Automobili and Pariss Electric
Board of Directors
Valery Miftakhov
FOUNDER & CEO
Serial cleantech entrepreneur - Founder and CEO of leading EV charging business eMotorWerks (acquired by Enel in 2017). Previously Executive at Google, McKinsey and Nielsen. Avid Pilot (fixed wing and rotorcraft). MS Physics, MIPT and Ph.D. Physics, Princeton.
Geoff Eisenberg
PARTNER—ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY FUND
Geoff has been with EIF since its inception in 2010. He leads the firm’s work in Grid Modernization, Electrification, and Transportation. Geoff is based in San Francisco, CA.
Christine Ourmières-Widener
AIRLINE OPERATOR ADVISOR
Seasoned airline senior exec: CEO TAP Portugal; CEO FlyBe, CEO CityJet, 25+ years at AirFrance KLM (VP/GM US, GM UK & Ireland), IATA Board of Governors, Royal Aero Society MA Aeronautics, MBA
Sergey Kiselev
CCO, VP EUROPE
Head of Europe at eMotorWerks (acquired in 2017). Hitachi, Head of e-Mobility at Enel X, Previously Partner at McKinsey & Co. MS Physics, MIPT and Ph.D. Physics, Cornell.
Matt Eggers
INVESTOR—BREAKTHROUGH ENERGY VENTURES
Matt is an investor or board member in 75F Inc, ZeroAvia, Zymergen, Omnidian, Bright, Phylagen, Energetic Insurance, Posigen and others. He was previously an exec at Sunrun, Tesla and Bloom Energy.