Driven by the Need for Change.
Powered by a Team that Can Make it Happen.

Founders

Russell Pullan CEO Russell comes with 25 years of international experience in the low-carbon sector, growing technology companies as a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and board director. He helped to build and run over $1 billion of companies, projects, and venture capital funds for Carbon Trust, Nomura, Saudi Aramco, and UK Green Investment Bank - Sustainable Development Capital. He is a former CalSTRS Pension Fund Greenwave Initiative Advisory Board Member.   He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a Board Director for the Sustainable Business & Impact Investing Network. He obtained his MBA from INSEAD and an HBSc from the University of Western Ontario. Russell speaks English, French, and Japanese. He understands German and is learning Mandarin.

Tony Han Founder + CTO As founder of eLeapPower, Tony is the chief inventor of the company’s core patents. Prior to launching eLeapPower, he led the development of the Bison, the world’s first electric pickup truck designed and prototyped in Canada. He was also the CEO of Automotive Die Manufacturing Software Solutions, based in Shanghai, and led research teams on automotive and technology development projects in Japan, Canada, and Germany.   Tony is a Galbraith Scholar with a MASc in Electrical Engineering and a BASc of Engineering Science from the University of Toronto. Tony speaks English, Mandarin, and Japanese.

Engineering Team Across Canada and China

We are experts in software and electrical engineering drawn from the emerging electric vehicle sector. Our diverse skills come together to drive innovation and excellence in every aspect of our projects.

Darlene Knight Board Member Darlene Knight’s operational experience was gained with multi-national manufacturing businesses, primarily in the automotive sector, where she held strategic and operations roles. Darlene also has held leadership roles at supplier and OEM organisations, including General Motors Corporation, Johnson Controls, Inc., EDSCHA GmbH and Adient, Plc. Darlene has experience in engineering, global manufacturing and quality. Her roles have included P&L responsibility. Darlene is also a Director of Reliance Worldwide Corporation and Fabrinet. Darlene holds a Master of Science in Engineering Science and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Administration.

Anil Chawla Board Member Anil currently serves as the chief financial officer of a Canadian-based Bio-Pharma company. Anil is a CPA with over 38 years of accounting, tax, and finance-related experience. In 2020, he retired from Deloitte as a tax partner after 33 years. At Deloitte, he served as the National Leader for the India Services Group and was the Greater Toronto Area Tax Leader of the Gi3 Group.   He has been an active teacher on income tax and accounting courses, CMA courses, and Deloitte internal courses. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Toronto.

Zoltan Tompa Board Member For the past 17 years, Zoltan Tompa has been working at the nexus of cleantech innovation and investment. He is currently managing director, Cleantech Practice at BDC Venture Capital where he is responsible for leading equity investments and growth financing transactions, as well as serving on the board of several portfolio companies. Zoltan joined BDC in 2016 to help lead the design and implementation of the cleantech practice and its $600 million growth capital platform that was purpose-built to help leading cleantech firms reach scale and profitability. Prior to joining BDC, Zoltan spent over 10 years at Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a $1 billion clean technology fund. As the director of strategy and market alliances, he led SDTC’s regional offices, oversaw a suite of market acceleration programs that mobilized follow-on investments, established commercial partnerships, and facilitated market access for SDTC portfolio companies. Earlier as director, applications and dealflow, he screened more than a thousand investment opportunities and was directly involved in over $350 million of investments. Earlier in his career, he was the first non-founding employee at venture-backed software start-up Infotriever and product manager for a $2 billion small business credit portfolio at CIBC.

Mark Hogan Board Observer Mark Hogan is an observer on the board of directors of eLeapPower.   He retired in 2019 and currently sits on two pension plans as an independent Trustee, is a director on the board, and is chair of the audit and governance committee of a cogeneration plant. Mark joined Coughlin & Associates Ltd. in 1978 while studying for his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Ottawa. After graduating with an Honours (cum laude) degree in 1982, Mark joined the company on a full-time basis as a pension and benefits administrator for multi-employer groups. He received a Certificate of Proficiency in Employee Benefits from Toronto's Humber College in 1985. In 1988, he became a member of the company's benefits and pensions consulting staff and later, in 1992, he was appointed senior consultant responsible for a number of prominent business, labor and social service organizations. Mark was appointed associate vice-president in 1999, vice-president in 2003 and senior vice-president in 2005. He is a principal of the company and a member of its board of directors. Mark has spoken at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans' annual Canadian Conference and is a former member of the Certificate in Employee Benefits Services (CEBS) Advisory Board Committee of the University of Ottawa's continuing education program. He is a past director and founder of the Third Party Administrators' Association of Canada. He is licensed to provide insurance services in the province of Ontario.

Meir Arnon Board Observer Meir Arnon is a serial entrepreneur and investor and is considered to be the founding member of the Israeli Smart Mobility industry. Meir currently serves as an advisor or board member at several smart-mobility company boards. His own company, Focus Capital Group, has initiated over a dozen transactions between Israeli and Fortune Global 500 companies.   Meir is the co-founder and former chairman of EcoMotion and EcoMotionWeek. He is a graduate of the Technion, INSEAD and HBS, an active member of YPO and founder of the YPO Automotive Network.

Russell Pullan Board Member Russell comes with 25 years of international experience in the low-carbon sector, growing technology companies as a serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and board director. He helped to build and run over $1 billion of companies, projects, and venture capital funds for Carbon Trust, Nomura, Saudi Aramco, and UK Green Investment Bank - Sustainable Development Capital. He is a former CalSTRS Pension Fund Greenwave Initiative Advisory Board Member.   He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a Board Director for the Sustainable Business & Impact Investing Network. He obtained his MBA from INSEAD and an HBSc from the University of Western Ontario. Russell speaks English, French, and Japanese. He understands German and is learning Mandarin.

Tony Han Board Member As founder of eLeapPower, Tony is the chief inventor of the company’s core patents. Prior to launching eLeapPower, he led the development of the Bison, the world’s first electric pickup truck designed and prototyped in Canada. He was also the CEO of Automotive Die Manufacturing Software Solutions, based in Shanghai, and led research teams on automotive and technology development projects in Japan, Canada, and Germany.   Tony is a Galbraith Scholar with a MASc in Electrical Engineering and a BASc of Engineering Science from the University of Toronto. Tony speaks English, Mandarin, and Japanese.

Meir Arnon Chair of Advisory Board Automotive Industry Investor Meir Arnon is a serial entrepreneur and investor and is considered to be the founding member of the Israeli Smart Mobility industry. Meir currently serves as an advisor or board member at several smart-mobility company boards. His own company, Focus Capital Group, has initiated over a dozen transactions between Israeli and Fortune Global 500 companies.   Meir is the co-founder and former chairman of EcoMotion and EcoMotionWeek. He is a graduate of the Technion, INSEAD and HBS, an active member of YPO and founder of the YPO Automotive Network.

Håkan Samuelsson Automotive Industry Executive Håkan Samuelsson is chairman of the Polestar board, and the executive credited with the transformation of the Volvo Car Group over the last decade. Samuelsson has a long history in the car industry, and a fitting educational background. A native of Sweden, he obtained a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in 1972.   He began his career at Scania Group five years later, holding pivotal roles such as VP Powertrain and Industrial Director at Scania do Brasil, later serving as EVP Technical Sektor until 2000. Håkan departed Scania after two decades of service, and between 2000 and 2005, served as Chairman and CEO of German truck manufacturer MAN. His journey continued at Volvo Cars AB in 2010, where he served as a board member and later became CEO from 2012 to 2022. There, he led a repositioning of the brand, significant growth and a successful IPO, listing the car group on the Stockholm NASDAQ. His leadership extends to key board positions, including Deutsche Bank Advisory Board, Siemens AG, Scandlines GmbH as Chairman, Polestar as Chairman since 2015, AB Volvo, and ABB Mobility from 2022 onward.

Nick Rogers Automotive Industry Executive Nick Rogers is an entrepreneurial Board-level executive with 38 years of global business and automotive experience, including seven years as Jaguar Land Rover’s Board Member and Executive Director of Product Engineering and Research, and 20 years in substantial executive positions with Ford and BMW, as well as Jaguar Land Rover. Nick is passionate about business growth, transformation, sustainability, efficiency, and technical curiosity. Additionally, he has a strong team ethos, driving collaboration, teamwork, and global partnerships to truly embrace diversity and deliver win-for-all results. Through his career, Nick has had a clear focus on defining strategic vision and taking action, leading teams to transform and deliver. He is driven to create pioneering and disruptive products and services, having led the business strategy, engineering, and delivery of three generations of Range Rover, the All-New Land Rover Defender and the world’s first premium battery electric sports utility vehicle – the Jaguar I-PACE – for example. Nick is a strong advocate for the advancement of business and technology in all sectors, especially solving global problems such as the need to pivot from an oil driven economy to new energy ecosystems and solutions – from creation to distribution and utilisation of energy. He has significant Board experience in large-scale entities, joint ventures and prominent government led initiatives, and now supports and advises a diverse portfolio of global businesses. During his career, Nick has instilled a thirst for technical knowledge and championed diversity within all his organisations, something that he continues to support every day. In his free time, he is an owner and developer of multiple private investment projects including a successful business park, property, and classic vehicles.

Michael Duhaime Automotive Industry Executive Michael Duhaime is an automotive innovation executive with over 40 years of Global OEM and Tier1 leadership experience in operations, manufacturing, technology, strategic business development, design and product innovation from concept into full vehicle production. Michael served as the FCA Global Director of Electrification where he was responsible for propulsion system and integration of the vehicle into the Waymo Autonomous Drive Systems.   He is a recognized industry leader in product design and development of electrified vehicles including Chrysler Pacifica PHEV, Fiat 500 BEV, Jeep Wrangler Hybrid & PHEV, RAM1500 Hybrid, Renegade PHEV and Alfa Romeo Tonale. He also was the GM chief engineer for the Chevrolet Volt and Saturn Vue Hybrid. The vehicles he oversaw earned multiple aways including North American Car & Truck of the Year and Wards Auto’s “10 Best.” He now helps lead global companies and teams including start-ups and large multi-national corporations, focusing on the future of mobility and integration of technology architecture.

Richard Ishii Automotive Industry Executive Richard Ishii has over 30 years' experience in the global automotive industry. He started his career in purchasing at Isuzu Motors in Japan, and has held various executive-level positions in global tier-one suppliers in North America and Asia. He established Magna International and ABC Technologies in the Asia region, and was the founding president of Magna International Korea and founding member of the board of directors of Ningbo ABC INOAC Huaxiang. He is currently serving as Axiom Group's vice president responsible for sales & business development, marketing & communications and costing, and is also a senior automotive advisor to Inmotive, a Canadian tech start-up that developed a 2-speed transmission for electric vehicles.   Richard has extensive experience in establishing and building global business with North American, Asian and European OEMs. He graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics for Commerce, and speaks English and Japanese.

Peter Lehn Professor of Electric Engineering Research and Development Technology and Pipeline Peter Lehn is currently a full professor at the University of Toronto. His research interests include analytical modeling of nonlinear and switched circuits. eLeapPower founder, Tony Han, has worked closely with Peter for many years, and Peter is one of the pioneers of the eLeapPower’s core technology.   He earned the BSc and MSc degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Man., Canada, in 1990 and 1992, respectively, and the PhD degree from the University of Toronto, Ont., Canada, in 1999. From 1992 to 1994, he was with the Network Planning Group of Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany.