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The Power Behind the Future!

Nick Brown, CEO, e-mail Nick Brown
In early 1999 Nick established the FutureGroup companies to diversify his interests away from telecomms and into other manufacturing avenues including GRP manufacturing, machine tool development and the renewable energy market. He conceived the FutureWind project in mid 2000 and to date a total of over £250,000 has been invested as a result of the efforts of his team and investors. Nick previously founded Metrodata in 1989 and held a number of responsibilities over the years including Marketing Director and Chief Technology Officer as well as working with blue chip accounts such as Motorola, Cisco Systems and GCHQ on developing technology solutions to meet their business needs. He has also been central to a number of fund raising rounds and has raised private equity and won grant awards totalling just under £1m over the past decade. Nick has worked for over 24 years in high tech product development and marketing in the UK, Europe and the USA. He has BSc in Electronic Engineering and Maths and has been a Chartered Engineer for 16 years.

Andy Brown, Director, e-mail Andy Brown
Andy Brown is a Director of all of the FutureGroup companies and is engaged in design of the aerofoils for the ZZ250. His specialisations include statistical analysis, aerofoil design and deployment site Operations and Management. Andy also holds a Directorship at Cambridge Architectural Research, specialising in statistical wind analysis for building design integrity. He is also a part-time lecturer in maths and applied engineering at Cambridge University. He was previously a manager at Fulcrum Engineering in London and graduated from Cambridge university with an honour degree.

Non-Execs
Peter Mearns, CFO, e-mail Peter Mearns
As part-time non-exec finance director, Peter has provided financial management advice to the FutureGroup companies since 1999. Peter has been the Managing Director of business consultancy Business Brainpower since 1997 where he assists overseas and UK companies with new ventures, acquisitions and disposals, turnarounds, and finance. He is also connected with the VC syndicate Cavendish Management Resources. In 1997 he retired from British Oxygen Group where he had held over a period of 13 years a number of directorships including Finance Director to the UK Gases and Overseas Divisions and was responsible for quadrupling the market values of the Nigerian and Kenyan Companies. Peter has also been the Deputy Managing Director at AGB Research and Finance Director at United Glass. In the 1960s he developed battlefield radar at GEC. Peter holds a BSc in Physics and an MBA from Cranfield.

Non-Execs: engineering
We are also very grateful for the support given to us by several shareholders who as consultants are actively involved in the development of the product line.

Derek Jennings is a communications expert and is assisting the development of a next generation SCADA system specific for the ZZ 250 and ZX300 turbine products. Derek is using technology developed in-house and provided by the DTI and ETSU in his developments. Prior to becoming a freelance consultant Derek was a senior director of Cisco Systems and Engineering Director at Stratacom Corporation. Prior to that he was Technical Director at Racal Milgo.

Design consultancy AMBAS has been supporting the design of the ZZ250 and ZX300. Their principal officer, Bernard Squires has been engaged in the developing both concept and detail. Bernard was formally the Technical Director of Asquith Butler, the best machine tool company in the UK.

Jim Platts has been assisting in the design of the blades and overall structure concept for the ZZ250 and ZX300. Jim is Director of the Engineering Tripos at Cambridge University and is the conceiver of coning rotor wind turbine technology. Jim advised the CONE 450 project operated by the DTI and ETSU.

Ed Spooner has been assisting in the development of the generator for the ZZ 250 and ZX300. Prior to recently becoming a freelance consultant, Ed was professor of Engineering at Durham University and developed a direct drive permanent magnet generator of the same type as that to be used in the ZZ250. Ed executed the generator design for the CONE 450.