About the company

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.

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

COO

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.

Mark Cousin

Chief Technology Officer

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.

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.

Sarah Clark

Head of Talent Acquisition

Sarah has nearly a decade of experience in recruiting and talent management in industries spanning R&D, engineering, healthcare, finance, and accounting. Prior to Universal Hydrogen, she was a Corporate Recruiter at Catapult Health and a Talent Acquisition Specialist at Bastian Solutions.

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.