First Hydrogen announced the appointment of Rob Campbell as Chief Executive Officer of Energy to spearhead the company’s development of green hydrogen production and hydrogen refueling technology.
Mr. Campbell was formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Ballard Power Systems (Ballard), the leading global developer of fuel cells and renewable energy solutions for sustainable transit systems.
Mr. Campbell has advocated for the use of renewable energy, hydrogen, and fuel cells to solve the concerns of climate change, pollution, and energy security for more than two decades. His responsibilities at Ballard included global business development, sales and marketing, product line management, and after-sales support for the company’s core markets for power products, including Heavy Duty Vehicles, Material Handling, and Stationary Power. Prior to joining Ballard, Mr. Campbell served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of SoloPower Systems Inc. He has also held Vice President positions at Energy Conversion Devices, Solar Integrated Technologies, and Hydrogenics, a maker of hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyser products.
Mr. Campbell, who joined First Hydrogen in January as a director, is now joining the company as its Energy CEO. He will be in charge of creating green hydrogen production sites and fuel distribution networks, which are essential components of First Hydrogen’s comprehensive hydrogen mobility solution. To speed the development of zero-emission eco-system solutions, the company’s “Hydrogen-as-a-Service” model will provide customers with clean green hydrogen fuel, refueling technology, and zero-emission commercial cars.
Mr. Campbell holds the ICD.D credential from the Institute of Corporate Directors. He is a qualified professional engineer with the Professional Engineers Association of Ontario. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Queen’s University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from the Schulich School of Business at York University.
Rob’s experience, coupled with his extensive knowledge of high-growth markets and engineering-based capital equipment sales, will guide the delivery of the company’s first green hydrogen production sites and hydrogen refueling stations, which are being developed in collaboration with FEV Consulting Group. Later this year, First Hydrogen Automotive will release two demonstration Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) fueled by hydrogen and equipped with Ballard fuel cells. Mr. Campbell will assist in establishing the infrastructure required for fleet operators to deploy hydrogen-powered, zero-emission vehicles.
Rob Campbell, Director and CEO of First Hydrogen Energy, comments: “As a business that spans both the energy and automotive industries, First Hydrogen is pioneering a new approach to working with commercial vehicle customers. It is my privilege to join First Hydrogen at such an exciting stage in its business growth. The Company has made substantial progress in rapid order and now is the time to ramp up activity on the Energy side in order to provide a totally green and sustainable solution. I look forward to developing First Hydrogen’s energy division, expanding our team and working towards our objective: to produce a guaranteed supply of green hydrogen fuel and the means to distribute it. I have long believed in the potential hydrogen fuel has in the global race to eliminate fossil fuel use and I’m thrilled to accelerate us towards a zero-emission future.”
Balraj Mann, CEO, says: “I am very pleased to welcome Rob to First Hydrogen’s growing first-class team. Rob brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise with his many years of helping the world de-carbonize. Green hydrogen as a clean fuel source is gaining considerable momentum. Just last week, Democratic senator Joe Manchin and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer agreed to a tax and climate bill in the US which will give generous tax credits that will make green hydrogen cheaper to produce. The UK announced Jane Toogood as Hydrogen Champion to kick-start Britain’s green hydrogen industry, as it moves away from natural gas.”
