Leadership Team
We are a world-class team with deep aviation and energy experience. We share a passion for green aviation and a desire to challenge the incremental pace of progress towards this goal.
Paul Eremenko
Co-Founder and CEO
Paul Eremenko
Co-Founder and CEO
Paul is a leading aviation pioneer, having served as CTO of both Airbus and United Technologies Corporation (UTC), leading both companies aggressively toward electrification. He is the founder of Acubed, Airbus’ Silicon Valley innovation center (as well as one in Shenzhen, China). Paul launched E-Fan X and Project 804 (Airbus’ and UTC’s hybrid-electric flight demonstrators, respectively), as well as Vahana and City Airbus (Airbus’ eVTOL demonstrators for urban air mobility). Earlier in his career, Paul led DARPA’s X-plane and large systems office, and also held senior positions at Google and Motorola. Paul studied aeronautics at MIT and Caltech, and law at Georgetown. He also serves on the board of directors of Eve Air Mobility (NYSE: EVEX).Mark Cousin
President & Chief Technology Officer
Mark Cousin
President & Chief Technology Officer
Prior to joining Universal Hydrogen, Mark spent the last 20 years at Airbus, where he was the Senior Vice President for Flight Demonstrators and before that the Technical Director of the Beluga XL program. Under Mark’s technical leadership, the Beluga XL, a major conversion of the A330, was completed on schedule and on budget with entry into service in under two years. He also led the team responsible for bringing the A380 program to entry into service and spent a decade doing flight and ground testing of the A340-600, A350, and A380. Most recently, he was the CEO of Acubed, the Airbus Silicon Valley innovation center. Mark is an aeronautics graduate of Southampton University before joining British Aerospace Regional Aircraft in the Future Projects department as his first job.Anastasiya “Stasy” Pasterick
Chief Financial Officer
Anastasiya “Stasy” Pasterick
Chief Financial Officer
Prior to joining Universal Hydrogen, Stasy was CFO of Nikola (NASDAQ: NKLA), a pioneer in heavy-duty hydrogen truck and infrastructure solutions. During her 4+ year tenure at Nikola, Stasy was key in executing the company’s public listing through a SPAC merger in 2020 and established an accounting and reporting infrastructure as a newly-listed company. Before Nikola, Stasy held several financial leadership positions, including Director of Accounting Operations at Erickson, Inc. and Corporate Controller at nLIGHT, Inc. (NASDAQ: LASR), where she led all financial aspects of the company’s IPO. Stasy started her career at KPMG. Stasy is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and graduate of Portland State University.Jon Gordon
Co-Founder, General Counsel, and Head of Partnerships and Government Affairs
Jon Gordon
Co-Founder, General Counsel, and Head of Partnerships and Government Affairs
Jon was most recently Deputy GC for Technology at UTC. Prior to that he represented Airbus and Acubed in complex joint-development projects, and Berkshire Hathaway Energy in large-scale solar and wind projects. He has served as GC for several aviation start-ups and was a senior M&A attorney at Wachtell Lipton. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago.Arnaud Namer
Chief Operating Officer
Arnaud Namer
Chief Operating Officer
Arnaud was most recently the head of strategy of Safran Passenger Solutions, which included the divisions of air management, water&waste, IFE & connectivity, and custom cabins. Prior to that he held various positions, including Vice President of Engineering and Director of Programs, in Safran and Zodiac Aerospace. He started his career at Airbus in overall aircraft design working on the A380, A350, and new narrowbody programs. Arnaud is an aeronautics graduate of École Polytechnique and ISAE-SUPAERO in France.Rod Williams
Chief Commercial Officer
Rod Williams
Chief Commercial Officer
Rod is a 25-year veteran of Bombardier, where, among many other roles, he was Vice President of Marketing and Vice President of Regional Programs. Most recently, Rod served as Chief Marketing Officer of Wheels Up, as well as President of its Canadian subsidiary. Rod is an aerospace engineering graduate of the University of Toronto.Pierre Farjounel
General Manager Europe
Pierre Farjounel
General Manager Europe
Pierre leads the Toulouse Engineering Design Center and is responsible for business development for the European region. Pierre comes to Universal Hydrogen from Airbus, where he most recently served as the Head of Digital Continuity & Information Systems for Airbus’ next generation of aircraft and Head of the Digital Design, Manufacturing, and Services (DDMS) program in France. Before that he was Head of Capability and Technology Strategy for the Airbus Flight Physics organization. He was also Chief of Staff to the Airbus CTO and before that to the CHRO. Pierre is an environmental engineer.Strategic Advisory Board
Carl Burleson
Carl Burleson
Carl is the former Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He retired in 2020 after three decades and numerous senior roles with the agency.J.-P. Clarke
J.-P. Clarke
John-Paul (J.-P.) Clarke is an eminent academic and serial entrepreneur. In addition to serving as the CINO, he is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Ernest Cockrell Jr. Memorial Chair in Engineering. Prior to joining the faculty at UT Austin, he was a College of Engineering Dean’s Professor at Georgia Tech, and previously on the faculty at MIT. He was Vice President of Strategic Technologies at UTC during an 18-month leave from Georgia Tech, an engineer at Boeing and NASA JPL, and co-founder of multiple startups. Prof. Clarke received his S.B., S.M., and Sc.D. degrees from MIT.Tom Enders
Tom Enders
Tom is the former Chief Executive Officer of Airbus and today serves on the Board of Directors of Lufthansa, Linde, and Lilium.Lourdes Maurice
Lourdes Maurice
Lourdes served as the US member to the ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection, the international body responsible for developing and coordinating environmental policy for the aviation industry. She was the FAA Chief Scientist for Environment and Energy and contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects and reports that led to the body’s 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.Patrick de Castelbajac
Patrick de Castelbajac
Patrick de Castelbajac was formerly CEO of Nordic Aviation Capital, the largest lessor of regional aircraft in the world. Patrick was also CEO of ATR, the leading maker of regional planes, as well as Chief Strategist for Airbus, in charge of the plane maker’s product and services policy.Roei Ganzarski
Roei Ganzarski
Roei Ganzarski was previously CEO of MagniX, a leader in aircraft electrification, and the Executive Chairman of Eviation Aircraft, the developer of the world’s first all-electric middle-mile aircraft. Roei is a former Boeing executive, having held many roles including CCO of Boeing Flight Services.
Backed by world-class investors
Our investor team includes a collection of Silicon Valley heavyweights, deep-pocketed financials, and value-chain strategics.