Female History Makers in Cleantech

As part of National Women’s History Month in the USA, we are highlighting three incredible females who are creating a lasting impact within cleantech.

Cleantech is a traditionally male-dominated industry, however, it is now widely recognised that having a more gender-diverse workforce is beneficial for companies in terms of both innovation and growth.

Whilst many organisations are making strides towards nurturing more gender-diverse personnel, female leadership representation remains a key area that still requires significant improvements.

With this in mind, we have spotlighted three inspirational women who are leading the way, all working within different areas of cleantech, focusing on different challenges and in companies that are at different stages of their lifecycle.

With their important work, they are inspiring the next generation of women to want to work within cleantech and make a real difference to the future of our planet!

Ugwem I. Eneyo. CEO, SHYFT 

Ugwem I. Eneyo is an American Nigerian cleantech entrepreneur and CEO of SHYFT.  SHYFT, which she co-founded, has formulated a data-driven approach to the design and operation of grids in developing countries.

With their technology, the company is bringing intelligence to solar, generator, inverter and utility power in Nigeria which Ugwem states will save 30% on user's energy costs whilst supplying them with a more reliable source of clean energy. 

The idea behind SHYFT was a result of numerous childhood trips to Nigeria where she saw the detrimental effects of fragmented energy on the grid. This coupled with her research as a PhD student at Stanford made her determined to create a clean solution for the energy problems of developing countries. 

The company is thriving having received funding from six major investors totalling around $4 million and has won numerous awards including the MIT Clean Energy Prize. Ugwem has been recognised in the Forbes 30 under 30- Energy and Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy Honors. 

The future of the company looks bright with another round of funding, a bigger team at their subsidiary in Nigeria and a look towards other African markets!

Connect with Ugwem on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/37cChJa  

Molly Morse. CEO, Mango Materials 

Molly Morse PhD is the co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Mango Materials. The Mango Materials leadership team is completely female-run, formed of Allison Pieja PhD as CTO and Anne Schauer-Gimenez PhD as COO. 

All of the team have an engineering background - the idea behind the company actually came from Allison and Molly’s PhD research into the production of biodegradable polymer PHA. 

Mango Materials take methane and produce PHA pellets called YOPP and YOPP+. These can act as an alternative to the conventional plastics used in supply chains and plastic products including cosmetics packaging.

Not only are these pellets biodegradable, but they also work to solve the issue of the highly harmful gas methane increasing within the atmosphere, creating something useful in the process!

As part of its environmental mission, the company has partnered with wastewater treatment plants, landfills and agricultural facilities to take their methane waste. 

In 2019, the company was named one of the next 50 Companies to Disrupt the World by Biofuels Digest. The long term goal is to be able to compete with petroleum-based plastics by scaling their manufacturing facilities to commercial-scale production size!

Molly Morse, Allison Pieja and Anne Schauer-Gimenez are disrupting the materials industry in a clean and innovative way, utilising their engineering expertise to develop technology that revolutionises plastics.

Connect with Molly on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/36azlwa  

Denise Gray. President, LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc. Tech Centre 

Denise Gray is the president of LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc. Tech Centre overseeing the North American subsidiary of South Korean LG Chem Ltd, the world’s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer. She is responsible for strategic direction, engineering and business development. 

Denise comes from an engineering background- she holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Kettering University and a master’s degree in Engineering Management Technology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

She started her career at General Motors spending 30 years with the company working her way up to Director of Energy Storage Systems. During her time with the company, she spearheaded efforts in electrical vehicles and battery systems, which became her passion throughout her later career. 

In 2017, she was awarded the Women of Colour Technologist of the year award which recognises the achievements of distinguished multicultural women who excel in STEM.

Connect with Denise on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3Kz6UqH  

These women are all trailblazers within cleantech focusing on different areas but creating solutions to solve some of the world's toughest environmental problems!

As part of National Women's History Month, we celebrate their achievements in hopes that their drive, passion and successes inspire another generation of women to pursue a career in cleantech and live their purpose.