Donald J. Currie

Founder, CEO, and Director

Donald Currie is the founding CEO of Hillcrest Energy Technologies. With over 30 years of experience in the energy sector, he established Hillcrest in February 2010 to create an organization that could blend his extensive financing expertise with entrepreneurial thinking.

Known for his success in building trusted relationships and businesses, Don brings a wealth of knowledge from his decades-long exposure to North American equity markets and financing of public companies. Recognized as a straight shooter with a strong commitment to integrity and big picture thinking, Don is at the forefront of Hillcrest's disruption of the clean technology sector. Under his leadership, Hillcrest pivoted into the clean tech sector, established an expert team with deep-rooted networks in the automotive and energy sectors and transformed an idea into commercially viable products in less than three years.

Prior to founding Hillcrest, Mr. Currie contributed his expertise to various private and public ventures across the energy, mining, gaming, and technology sectors.

M

Ari Berger

Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Ari Berger is a distinguished expert in electric machine control technologies, system engineering and multidisciplinary product design. He brings over a decade of commercial experience with a track record of deploying new technologies and go-to-market strategies, specifically in the sector of electrification.

In 2015, Mr. Berger founded NIG Systems Ltd. In Israel, which specializes in custom high performance control systems design. Prior to this, he previously worked for Bental Industries, a leading motor manufacturer.

Mr. Berger holds a Master’s Degree (MSc) in System Control Engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and is an expert in real-time embedded software development and dynamics. He has also published several academic papers and won several awards, including one from Intel for his innovative solutions for the wafer industry.

M

James Bolen

Chief Commercialization Officer

James Bolen brings more than 30 years of executive-level experience leading innovation teams from concept development to commercial success. Mr. Bolen is the former president and CEO at Global Power Technologies USA, a global leader in ultra-reliable power systems for remote industrial architecture, where he’s served for more than 20+ years helping to guide the company’s growth evolution through various ownership structures. Mr. Bolen holds an M.B.A. from Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario and is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science.

M

Jamie L. Hogue

Chief Operating Officer

Ms. Jamie Hogue is a dynamic leader with more than two decades of diversified experience in both the private and public sectors. She drives organizational growth and excellence with her expertise in operational optimization and regulatory acumen. Throughout her career, she’s excelled at strategic planning, marketing and communications, financial management, and governance, consistently propelling transformative initiatives forward.

Jamie earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Arizona State University.

M

Daryn Gordon

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Daryn Gordon is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) with more than two decades of finance and accounting experience. He started his career at global auditing firms Grant Thornton LLP and PwC Canada. For the last fourteen years, Mr. Gordon has continued to expand his expertise and knowledge by providing CFO services to Canadian companies across a variety of industries.

Mr. Gordon has a Bachelor of Accounting degree from the University of Lethbridge.

M

Ari Berger

Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Ari Berger is a distinguished expert in electric machine control technologies, system engineering and multidisciplinary product design. He brings over a decade of commercial experience with a track record of deploying new technologies and go-to-market strategies, specifically in the sector of electrification.

In 2015, Mr. Berger founded NIG Systems Ltd. In Israel, which specializes in custom high performance control systems design. Prior to this, he previously worked for Bental Industries, a leading motor manufacturer.

Mr. Berger holds a Master’s Degree (MSc) in System Control Engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and is an expert in real-time embedded software development and dynamics. He has also published several academic papers and won several awards, including one from Intel for his innovative solutions for the wafer industry.

M

Harald Hengstenberger

Managing Director, Owner & Founder, Systematec GMBH

Mr. Harald Hengstenberger is the leader of Hillcrest’s technology development partner, Systematec GmbH which is a leading German power electronics engineering and electromechanical component design company servicing the automotive sector. Mr. Hengstenberger is an established electrical engineer with more than 25 years of experience designing, manufacturing, testing and validating hybrid and electric vehicle powertrains.

M

James Hamond

Hillcrest Senior Technical Consultant

Coming from a background in robotics, Mr. James Hamond has developed, patented, and commercialized intellectual property in areas such lighting, audio, ADCs, DACs and high frequency soft switching. Having worked in the consumer, industrial and defense sectors, Mr. Hamond is a jack-of-all-trades, spanning hardware, embedded software, control and adaptive algorithms, register-transfer level (RTL), thermal management and mechanical design. He has worked with soft switching systems for over 15 years, most recently as CTO and co-founder of Pre-Switch Inc.

M

Dr. Jalal Amini

Senior Power Electronics Engineer

Dr. Jalal Amini is a senior power electronics engineer, possessing extensive experience in power, analog, digital and embedded circuit design, schematics and PCB layout design. Dr. Amini also possess superior knowledge and experience in grid applications, power quality and renewable energies. During his career, he has designed and implemented a variety of power electronic devices including grid-connected devices such as a wind energy converter, active filters, fast chargers and energy storage systems, as well as, induction motor drives, and multilevel converters.

M

Dan Coker

Hillcrest Strategic Advisor

Mr. Coker is an expert automotive executive and pioneering entrepreneur. He served as president and CEO of Gentherm Inc. from 1996 until his retirement in 2019. During that time, he transformed the company from a small, technology development company into a global supplier of thermal electric climate-control products for the automotive industry with more than US$1 billion in revenue and 15,000 employees worldwide.

During the nearly 25 years as the leader of Gentherm Inc., Mr. Coker developed a keen understanding of what it takes to transform an idea in the lab into a viable product for a market that does not yet exist. Not only was he able to successfully create the product and the associated market, but his special leadership capabilities also enabled Gentherm to maintain its status as an innovative market-leader for over a decade.

Since retiring in 2019, Mr. Coker maintains connected to the global network he built during his career and advises a select few early-stage companies on their journey through scaling and commercializing their technologies.

M

Dr. Heinz-Georg Burghoff

Hillcrest Commercialization Consultant

Dr. Heinz-Georg Burghoff is an automotive business and product strategist in vehicle electronics. Schooled and trained as a scientific expert in electric technologies and applied physics, Dr. Burghoff spent over 20 years with DaimlerChrysler AG, holding various management positions in passenger car development, heading up electric/electronic development for all passenger cars as well as directing battery technology and strategy. He currently operates as an independent consultant, with extensive sector expertise in product development and commercialization, financial and technical evaluation, and program implementation.

M

Dan Mathieson

Mr. Mathieson is an innovative trailblazer with a legacy of five successful mayoral terms in Stratford, Ontario. He is renowned for his adeptness in network building and consensus building and his visionary leadership transformed the community into a hub for cutting-edge automotive technologies. Mr. Mathieson continues to contribute to the forefront of technological innovation through is current role on the advisory board for the Auto Manufacturers Association’s Project Arrow, the first zero-emission concept vehicle designed, engineered, and built in Canada.

Among his many other achievements, Mr. Mathieson was honored in 2012 with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA), recognizing his exceptional contributions as a technology innovator and community leader.

M

David Farrell

Chair of the Board and Independent Director

Mr. David Farrell is a corporate director with over 25 years of corporate and investment banking experience, and has negotiated, structured and closed more than US$25 billion worth of M&A and structured financing transactions for numerous junior companies.

Previously, Mr. Farrell was President of Davisa Consulting, a private consulting firm working with global junior and mid-tier companies. Prior to founding Davisa, Mr. Farrell was Managing Director, Mergers & Acquisitions at Endeavour Financial working in Vancouver and London. Prior to Endeavour Financial, Mr. Farrell was a lawyer at Stikeman Elliott, working in Vancouver, Budapest and London. Mr. Farrell is a society member and has served for 12 years as a board and finance committee member of Yaletown House, a non-profit, critical-care seniors’ residence in downtown Vancouver.

Mr. Farrell graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.Comm. (Honours, Finance) and an LL.B. and has received the ICD.D designation from U of T Rotman School of Management and the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Mr. Farrell is the Chair of the Compensation, Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee.

M

Donald J. Currie

Founder, CEO, and Director

Donald Currie is the founding CEO of Hillcrest Energy Technologies. With over 30 years of experience in the energy sector, he established Hillcrest in February 2010 to create an organization that could blend his extensive financing expertise with entrepreneurial thinking.

Known for his success in building trusted relationships and businesses, Don brings a wealth of knowledge from his decades-long exposure to North American equity markets and financing of public companies. Recognized as a straight shooter with a strong commitment to integrity and big picture thinking, Don is at the forefront of Hillcrest's disruption of the clean technology sector. Under his leadership, Hillcrest pivoted into the clean tech sector, established an expert team with deep-rooted networks in the automotive and energy sectors and transformed an idea into commercially viable products in less than three years.

Prior to founding Hillcrest, Mr. Currie contributed his expertise to various private and public ventures across the energy, mining, gaming, and technology sectors.

M

Michael Moskowitz

Independent Director

A veteran technology executive, Michael Moskowitz has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the consumer, communications, and technology industries. Mr. Moskowitz has led various companies through business and growth strategies as a leading provider of integrated technology solutions for businesses, government agencies and consumers across the region.

Before co-founding NorthStar Gaming (Ontario) Inc., Mr. Moskowitz served as CEO and Chairman at Panasonic North America. During his tenure at Panasonic Mr. Moskowitz also held roles as President of Panasonic Canada, and Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company USA where he focused on strategic growth, profitability and diversification including expanding Panasonic’s offerings for B2B customers. Mr. Moskowitz also served as President and CEO of satellite radio operator XM Canada, and President, Americas International of Palm Inc. where he managed Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean region through a period of extensive growth.

In 2021, Mr. Moskowitz joined Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd. as Strategic Advisor. Mr. Moskowitz was previously named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, an award presented to exceptional leaders in their chosen fields who are shaping the country’s future. Mr. Moskowitz is a member of the Board of Industry Leaders of the Consumer Technology Association, and a member of the Young Presidents Organization, the premier leadership organization of chief executives in the world. Mr. Moskowitz is a former Board member of Mobilicity, Hussmann Corporation and Panasonic Avionics Corporation.

Mr. Moskowitz is the Chair of the Executive Committee.

M

Kylie Dickson

Independent Director

Ms. Kylie Dickson is a Canadian CPA, CA who has worked with companies throughout the mining lifecycle and played a pivotal role in multiple financings and M&A transactions. Ms. Dickson was most recently the Vice President of Business Development at Equinox Gold Corp. and, before that, VP, Business Development at Trek Mining. Ms Dickson previously worked as Chief Financial Officer for JDL Gold Corp., Anthem United Inc. and Esperanza Resources, and served as the Corporate Controller of Minefinders Corporation.

Until March 2020, she was Vice-President, Business Development of Equinox Gold Corp. and previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer of several mineral exploration and mining companies. Prior to her work with public companies, Ms. Dickson was an audit manager in the mining group of a major audit firm.

Ms. Dickson is the Chair of the Audit Committee.

M

Michael Krzus

Director

Mr. Michael Krzus is an engineer with 40 years of international energy industry experience as a director and executive in Australia, the United States, the Netherlands and Canada.

Prior to joining Hillcrest, Mr. Krzus was the founding CEO and Director of Emerald Oil Inc., an operating oil company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and was CEO and Managing Director of Emerald Oil and Gas NL, an oil and gas company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

During his previous career, including 22 years with Woodside Petroleum Ltd. and Shell, Mr. Krzus held various executive and management roles involving international oil and gas exploration and development, large scale LNG and gas to power projects, technology development and geothermal. Mr. Krzus also served as a director of the Australian CO2CRC, a collaboration between the Australian Government, industry and universities/research institutions to further CO2 carbon capture and storage research and applications.

Mr. Krzus holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Tulsa University, a Diploma in Oil and Gas Technology from the British Columbia Institute of Technology and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

M

Robert Lambert

Independent Director

Mr. Robert Lambert is currently Deputy Chairman of Jadestone Energy Plc., Previously, Mr. Lambert was CEO of Petra Petroleum Inc from 2011 to 2015, Senior Independent Director of Eland Oil & Gas PLC from 2012 to 2015 and CEO of GB Petroleum Ltd from 2005 to 2010. Prior to that time, Mr. Lambert held a variety of executive management and senior operational roles with Conoco Inc. over a 25-year international career.

Mr. Lambert is a Member of the Audit Committee and the Compensation, Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee.

M

Thomas G. Milne

Independent Director

Mr. Thomas (Tom) Milne is a senior financial management executive with extensive international experience in energy E&P, pipelines, oil sands and communication technology. Mr. Milne’s career roles include: chief financial officer, treasurer, investment banker, senior partner (CA firm) and foreign exchange trader. Mr. Milne has been a director of both public and private companies including chairman of the audit committee for an AMEX-listed oil sands company.

Mr. Milne is a Member of the Audit Committee and Compensation, Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee.

M