David Ward became Oxford PV’s Chief Executive Officer in February 2023, after serving for a decade as director/observer on the company’s board and as an investor. He has over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive leader, and VC investor with cleantech and physical sciences technology companies.

Prior to becoming Oxford PV’s CEO, David served for five years as the CEO of Adaptive Surface Technologies, a US-based industrial technology company spun out from Harvard University. David steered the company from R&D to commercialisation and production. Under his leadership, he led the company in raising private funding, including strategic investors such as BASF, Tokyo Electron Ventures and Akzo Nobel.

David spent nearly 20 years with MTI Ventures, an active investor in early-stage companies in the physical sciences. As a Managing Partner and Head of Materials and Cleantech Practice, David led MTI’s cleantech and renewables investment strategy, with Oxford PV as an investee. He set up the firm’s US presence in 2006 and, as board member of a number of its portfolio companies, was instrumental in supporting their growth in North America.

David is passionate about growing technology-based companies that can make an impact on the sustainability of our planet. He is a mentor at the Perovskite PV program of the US Department of Energy’s American-Made Network, a group connecting innovators to accelerate the clean energy transition.

David holds a Masters in Materials Science from the University of Oxford.

Chris is responsible for maximising the commercial value of Oxford PV’s technology.

Chris’ experience spans markets across the world including the US, and he has helped companies large and small to manage their IP portfolios, broaden their scope of influence, and build successful and profitable businesses. His previous positions have included 10 years as Chief Technology and Scientific Officer with BOC, part of Linde, where he oversaw the global technology strategy and R&D for the €8 billion business.

Chris actively contributes to advancing the solar industry. He serves as a Board Member of the European Solar Manufacturing Council and a Steering Committee member of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP-PV). Since 2021 he has been the President of the International Thin-Film Solar Industry Association (PVthin). He also advises the SuperSolar Hub of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC). He is extensively published in international press and scientific publications, and is a regular speaker and lecturer on integrated circuits and photovoltaics.

With his background as an educator, Chris is also passionate about promoting the role of STEM and enabling younger generations in building a sustainable future.

Chris began his career as Assistant Professor of Engineering at Brown University, followed by 10 years at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He was a Fulbright-Hays scholar at the Université de Bordeaux, and holds a MSc in engineering and a PhD in materials science from Brown University.

Laura leads Oxford PV’s activities in the implementation of best sustainable practices, and engages regularly in governmental advocacy activities across Europe and beyond. She is a frequent invited speaker at solar industry events. She has more than 10 years’ experience in the solar sector and over 20 years in innovation. She is also involved in IP strategy activities and IP portfolio management.

Charlotte was promoted to Chief of Staff in 2023 to support our senior leadership team on strategic planning, building organisational agility, and enhancing collaboration across the company.

Charlotte has been with Oxford PV for over a decade and has played a number of integral roles in the growth of the company and its culture. During this time she has served as the Group Finance Manager and Strategic Projects Manager.

Prior to her time at Oxford PV, Charlotte qualified as a Chartered Certified Accountant with ACCA.

Ed is responsible for the ongoing development of Oxford PV’s technology.

Ed has over a decade of perovskite solar technology development experience with Oxford PV, and over 20 years in the field of thin-film functional material and device development. His journey with the company began with the very first perovskite technology transfer from the pioneering research group of Professor Henry Snaith, University of Oxford, where he held a Junior Research Fellowship. At Oxford PV, he served as the Head of Cell Development at our UK R&D hub before spending two years in Germany as Project Manager and Head of Operations.

Ed is a physicist and technologist by training, focusing on the development of polymeric thin-film semiconductors as well as functional, nanostructured inorganic materials for a range of device applications. He gained his MA, MSc and PhD in physics from the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, where he was Caldwell Scholar. He spent over two years at the University of Freiburg working in close collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy (ISE) where he also found time to hone his German language skills.

Christian Langen was appointed Chairperson of the Board in October 2018. He first joined the Oxford PV board as a non-executive director and industry expert in July 2015.

Following his Master degree in International Management, Finance and Production Management from Otto Beisheim School of Management (WHU) in Germany, Christian founded and grew several businesses in Germany and Australia. He gained more than a decade of executive experience in the international Solar power industry. Among other roles, Christian led the largest business division of solar electronics company SMA Solar Technology AG. As Division CEO, he was responsible for a profitable business with more than $1 bn in annual revenue, generated by 2500 people in 20 countries. Christian also served several years on the board of the European solar industry association EPIA (now Solar Power Europe).

Today, Christian supports management teams of several innovative solar companies around the globe in defining and implementing their growth and internationalisation strategy.

David Ward became Oxford PV’s Chief Executive Officer in February 2023, after serving for a decade as director/observer on the company’s board and as an investor. He has over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive leader, and VC investor with cleantech and physical sciences technology companies.

Prior to becoming Oxford PV’s CEO, David served for five years as the CEO of Adaptive Surface Technologies, a US-based industrial technology company spun out from Harvard University. David steered the company from R&D to commercialisation and production. Under his leadership, he led the company in raising private funding, including strategic investors such as BASF, Tokyo Electron Ventures and Akzo Nobel.

David spent nearly 20 years with MTI Ventures, an active investor in early-stage companies in the physical sciences. As a Managing Partner and Head of Materials and Cleantech Practice, David led MTI’s cleantech and renewables investment strategy, with Oxford PV as an investee. He set up the firm’s US presence in 2006 and, as board member of a number of its portfolio companies, was instrumental in supporting their growth in North America.

David is passionate about growing technology-based companies that can make an impact on the sustainability of our planet. He is a mentor at the Perovskite PV program of the US Department of Energy’s American-Made Network, a group connecting innovators to accelerate the clean energy transition.

David holds a Masters in Materials Science from the University of Oxford.

Prof Snaith is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Oxford PV. He is also the Binks Professor of Renewable Energy in the Physics Department of the University of Oxford.

Prof Snaith’s research focuses on developing and understanding new materials and device concepts for photovoltaic solar energy conversion. His election as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) credits his work on the use of perovskites in efficient solar cells, which has started a new field of research gaining both academic and industrial following.

In 2012, Henry was awarded the Paterson medal and prize by the Institute of Physics for his important contributions to the field of excitonic solar cells. His research on high-efficiency metal halide perovskite photovoltaics the following year was recognised as one of the top breakthroughs of 2013 by the journal Science.

In 2013, Henry was named one of “Nature’s 10” people who mattered, in recognition of his work on next-generation solar power technology. In 2017, he was named a Clarivate Citation Laureate, and in 2018 he received the UK Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists in physical sciences. Most recently, Henry won the 2020 Becquerel Prize and the 2022 Rank Prize for Optoelectronics for his ground-breaking work on perovskite solar cells.

Kjell Sletten Schieldrop is CFO for Equinor Ventures, Equinor’s corporate venture capital arm dedicated to investing in low-carbon innovation companies.

Kjell has more than 20 years’ experience with Equinor. He has worked with corporate governance, financial compliance, performance management, economic analysis, and business and strategy development within different business areas in Equinor. He has also served as investor relations officer and as head of finance and control for all research and technology development activities.

Kjell holds a Master of Science degree in business from the Norwegian School of Economics and a Bachelor’s in Environment and Resource Management from the University of Bergen.

Equinor Ventures initially invested in Oxford PV in 2016. 

Chen Shi has been the Strategic Business Director of Goldwind’s Strategy and Investment Management Department since 2015.  

Chen Shi has over ten years’ experience working for cleantech and energy businesses in China. He previously worked for LG Chemical; Hanergy, a Chinese thin-film PV manufacturer; and ENN, a Chinese gas and energy network service provider, in the roles of researcher, senior researcher and vice general manager of their strategy departments. He has a bachelor’s degree in materials science from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a master’s degree in materials with business from Queen Mary University of London.