Supporting the
Electrification
Movement

Formerly the Chief Technology Officer of CATL, the world’s largest lithium ion battery company, Mr. Galyen serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ESD, bringing over forty years of experience in the battery space to the Company. Mr. Galyen’s energy storage experience ranges from large corporations such as CATL, Magna, Delphi and General Motors, to small entrepreneurial businesses such as Tawas, Indy Power Systems and World Energy Labs.

Mr. Galyen served as Chairman of SAE International Battery Standards Steering Committee for eight years and as Chairman of NAATBatt International. Mr. Galyen also serves on Senator Lugar’s Advisory Board for Renewable Energy at IUPUI; the Dean’s Executive Advisory Council at Ball State University; and the National Fire Protection Agencies Board of Advisers. Mr. Galyen holds Master of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry from Ball State University.

Mr. Galyen’s notable Awards include the prestigious China Friendship Award (2015); the Talent 1000 Award where he was named a “National Distinguished Expert”​ by China (2014); Ball State University’s “Circle of Distinction Award;”​ the Automotive News “Electrifying 100; “​SAE International’s “Technical Standards Board Outstanding Contribution Award;” and​ the General Motors “Best of the Best” Award.

In 2020, Mr. Galyen founded Galyen Energy, LLC, which advises numerous companies involved in battery and energy storage. Mr. Galyen serves on the Boards of Directors and the Technology Advisory Boards for multiple companies.

Upon graduating Cum Laude from Yale (1970), where he received the Gordon Brown Memorial Prize awarded each year to the outstanding member of the Junior Class, and the Harvard Business School (1973) where he graduated with High Distinction and was named a Baker Scholar, Mr. Perkowski spent 20 years on Wall Street, rising to head of Investment Banking at PaineWebber.

In 1990, well before others recognized the significant role that China would play in the global economy, Mr. Perkowski spent three years investigating opportunities in Asia and China and founded ASIMCO Technologies in 1994. As ASIMCO’s Founder, Mr. Perkowski developed the strategy and raised $450 million of capital that enabled ASIMCO to become a major auto parts supplier in China. Under Jack’s leadership, ASIMCO gained a reputation for developing local management and integrating a broad based China operation into the global economy. ASIMCO was three times named one of the “Ten Best Employers in China,” and in 2008, Mr. Perkowski was designated by China Auto News as one of “30 Outstanding Entrepreneurs in China’s Auto Components Industry over the 30 Years of Economic Reform,” the only foreigner to receive this distinction. Often referred to as “Mr. China,” Jack is widely recognized as an expert on doing business in the country. Jack authored Managing the Dragon: How I’m Building a Billion Dollar Business in China.

In 2009, Mr. Perkowski founded JFP Holdings, Ltd., a Beijing based Merchant Banking Firm where he now serves as Chairman. JFP Holdings assists Western companies to penetrate the China market and Chinese companies to expand abroad.

Mr. Perkowski is Chairman of Graphene Manufacturing Group, an Australian company that produces high purity graphene from natural gas and has developed several disruptive end use products, including a graphene coating to increase thermal efficiency; a graphene lubricant that significantly improves fuel efficiency; and a next generation aluminum-ion battery;  serves on the China Advisory Council of Magna International Inc., one of the world’s largest auto suppliers; is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Center For Emerging Markets at Northeastern University; and is the Co-Chair of the Finance Committee of NATTBatt, a trade association that promotes advanced battery technology in North America.

Mr. O’Neill is a Founding Shareholder of ESD and the Managing Partner of JFP Holdings who brings over 25 years of international investment banking private equity experience to the Company. Prior to JFP Holdings, Mr. O’Neill founded Jin Niu Investment, a China-based strategic and investment advisory firm. Before moving to Beijing, where he is now based, Mr. O’Neill managed a $2.2 billion emerging market PE investment program for Trust Company of the West, a large U.S. investment firm.

Mr. Shao is a shareholder of ESD, and a senior member of JFP Holdings, which he joined in 2016. Mr. Shao has over 20 years’ manufacturing experience, including 15 years at senior positions such as Deputy GM, COO and General Manager, and 11 years experience in automotive components. Mr. Shao’s principal working experience includes senior positions at ASIMCO Technologies and Timken, and engineering positions at Changhong Electric. Mr. Shao holds a Master of Engineering degree from Chongqing University and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Xi’an Jiaotong University.

Mr. Liang is a shareholder of ESD and a senior member of JFP Holdings which he joined in 2010. Mr. Liang has over 15 years experience in the domestic and global automotive industries, having been a sales and marketing executive in several major automotive companies, including China Auto Electronic Group, Tenneco, ASIMCO Technologies and NORINCO (China Northern Industries Corporation). Mr. Liang holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Automotive Engineering and a Master’s degree in Management from Tianjin University.