Meet the team behind Brill Power’s world-leading research and innovation
Team
Founding members
Christoph Birkl DPhil
CEO and Co-Founder
Christoph is an expert in energy storage and conversion with seven years of research experience in lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. He holds a DPhil in Engineering from Oxford University and an MSc in Sustainable Energy Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.
Carolyn Hicks MASc, MBA
CFO/COO and Co-Founder
Carolyn is Brill Power’s CFO/COO and co-founder. She is a Professional Engineer with degrees in engineering (BASc, MASc) and business (MBA). Prior to Brill Power, Carolyn worked in infrastructure finance and economics in both Canada and the UK. Outside of Brill Power, Carolyn is a Director for Oxford Mutual Aid and is a 2x Ironman finisher.
Damien Frost DPhil
CTO and Co-Founder
Damien is a power electronics engineer and serial entrepreneur. With over ten years’ experience bringing ideas from paper to product, and the grey hair to prove it. Damien has a DPhil in Engineering from Oxford University and a BASc and MASc from the University of Toronto. Far from his local Ice Hockey club in Canada, Damien is forced to row in his spare time.
Adrien Bizeray DPhil
Chief Data Scientist and Co-Founder
Adrien leads all aspects of our battery modelling and state estimation. He focuses on advanced control algorithms, data-driven techniques, and Cloud-based battery data platforms. He holds a DPhil in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London.
We’re always on the lookout for new experts? Visit our careers page for our job openings.
Team
BrillCore
The BrillCore team
The BrillCore team brings together experts in electrical and electronic engineering, industrial design and project management. The team is responsible for the design, development and testing of the power electronics hardware and software, completing rapid prototyping and testing.
Team
BrillOS
The BrillOS team
The BrillOS team leads the design and development of new and existing firmware features and user documentation. The team has experts in machine learning, control systems, and specialists in safety critical embedded systems. delivering key components to an optimised industrial grade battery management system.
Team
BrillAnalytics
The BrillAnalytics team
The Brill Analytics team are experts in improving battery management with data analytics, helping to use data analysis to create a front-end system for our customers to effectively manage their Battery Intelligence Platform.
Team
Non-executive directors and advisors
Dr. Andy Palmer CMG, Chairman
Dr Andy Palmer CMG brings 40 years of automotive industry knowledge to Brill Power as the former COO of Nissan and CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda. He is widely regarded as the pioneer of electric vehicles following his stewardship of the Nissan LEAF project.
Nicola Daly, Director
Nicola is an Investment Director at Legal & General Capital. She has over 10 years’ investment and advisory experience in the clean energy technology and infrastructure sectors.
Oliver Mahony, Director
Investment Manager at Oxford Science Enterprises. Oliver has over ten years’ experience investing in public and private companies and working in start-ups. He supports the continued growth and development of OSE’s established portfolio companies.
Andy Challis, Director
Andy is Co-Head of Principal Investments at Barclays, with 14 years of experience investing in venture and high-growth technology businesses. His team is responsible for the bank’s Sustainable Impact Capital portfolio, and he sits on a number of boards in the fintech and greentech ecosystems.
Frederick Hamilton, Director
Frederick has several years’ experience investing in UK Pre-Seed through to Series B investments, predominantly in the DeepTech space.
Chris Miles, independent Director
Chris has over 30 years of energy sector experience, with board level roles in 7 low carbon businesses. He invested in and led the growth of Econergy, which he sold to Centrica. He has also led the development and sale of numerous grid scale battery storage projects.
Professor David Howey, Advisor
Dave advises Brill Power on the latest developments in energy storage. He is a Professor of Engineering Science at Oxford University with a focus on modelling and control of batteries. Christoph, Damien, and Adrien all completed their doctoral research within Dave’s group, leading to the founding of Brill Power.