Our Management
Ram Akella
Managing Director & Board Member
Ram joined Centrosolar in 2011. Prior to joining Centrosolar, he served as Chairman and CEO of Oriundus Asset Management Co., a renewable energy private equity fund and Managing Partner of Phoenix Capital Partners, an investment banking boutique for companies in the entertainment, media and communications, healthcare and IT industries, which he founded in 1998. Prior thereto, Ram was Managing Director of Dover Finance Group, Ltd., a corporate finance boutique specializing in structured finance for media, entertainment and communications companies. He is an advisor to Cornell University’s BR Ventures and a member of New York Weill Cornell Council that serves as an important link between Weill Cornell Medical College and the Weill Cornell campus of New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Ram is also a member of Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management’s Advisory Council. Ram holds an M.B.A. with Distinction from Cornell University.
Joseph Cunningham
Director of Operations
Joe has been with Centrosolar since 2010. Prior to Centrosolar, Joe spent three years in the PV integration business. He managed Operations, Business Development, Sales and Marketing. Joe has implemented many innovative concepts in the systems approach to PV systems, many of which are being adopted by installers throughout the US. Joe is also active in SolarTech as a member of the PV Performance Committee, working with San Jose State University to improve the uniformity of PV performance modelling, measurement, troubleshooting and maintenance standards. Joe has a long prior career in the wireless and telecommunications industry, where he has held the positions of President, Chief Operating Officer, Vice President, Business Development and more with companies such as Virginia Communications and CommSpeed. Joe holds a Bachelors of Science in Engineering from Cornell University.
Gery Kloiber
Director of Finance & Administration
Gery has been with Centrosolar since 2010. Prior to Centrosolar, Gery spent seven years in the Construction industry as a primary contractor in residential home building. Gery has over 25 years experience in Finance, Accounting and Treasury management. He has held the position of CFO for small international multi-language Companies to large multi-national Corporations. Gery spent nine years as Regional CFO for ADT Corporation with the financial responsibility of over $150 million in Sales. He has led merger and acquisition analysis teams and has been responsible for the successful merger and start-up of three current Corporations. Gery holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Missouri and is a graduate of the Bloch School of Business MBA program.
Kristine Weaver
Director, Product Management & Quality
Kristine joined Centrosolar in 2011. Prior to joining Centrosolar, Kristine worked as a Program Director for the Solar company Stirling Energy Systems. Additionally, she has had significant international experience as Senior Director/Manufacturing Practice Area Lead at JD Power and Associates; where she was responsible for improving global client’s product quality level through various design, manufacturing and market awareness initiatives. Kristine has over 30 years experience in the Solar, Electrical Utilities, Consulting, Manufacturing and Automotive industries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. She has experience in Program and Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality and Marketing. Kristine holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from General Motors Institute, and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy.
Chris Wood
Director of Sales
Chris has been with Centrosolar since early 2009, he is one of the Centrosolar’s early employees in the US market. Prior to Centrosolar, Chris worked for a leading solar PV integrator in Phoenix where he held finance and sales management roles selling residential and commercial PV systems. Prior to entering the renewable space, Chris was involved in real estate development where he led a successful team with over 20 sales people. Before moving to Arizona, Chris traded futures live on the floor and was an options market maker on the Montreal Stock Exchange. Chris holds a Bachelors in Finance from McGill University.
Jeff Amorosana
Director, CentroFinance Company, LLC
Jeff joined Centrosolar in 2012. He has over 21 years of experience in renewable energy, telecommunications, media and venture capital. Most recently he was with Mercury Solar, the second largest EPC on the East Coast where he was responsible for growing the business to a several hundred million dollar enterprise. Prior, he served in various capacities with firms such as: Open Access, Celebrity Media Access, CMGI, IMG, Viacom, News Corp. He started his career with CRESAP, a Towers Perrin Company. Jeff is a Harvard graduate and resides in Manhasset, NY.
Ken Blechman
Director, CentroFinance Company, LLC
Ken joined Centrosolar in 2012. He has approximately 26 years of experience at various bulge bracket investment banking firms covering research, quantitative risk management and related technology platform integration. Before founding ASF, Ken was Managing Director at Citigroup from 2005-2008. He also was a Managing Director at Bank of America from 2002-2005. Ken served in various capacities (fixed income trading, risk management, etc) for 12 years at Lehman Bros. Ken has served as an analyst at First Boston Corporation (now Credit Suisse) and Morgan Stanley & Company. Ken has Ph. D. in Mathematics from Columbia and a resident of Old Tappan, NJ.
Dr. Axel Müller-Groeling
Executive Board Member, CENTROSOLAR Group AG
Axel Müller-Groeling, PhD in Physics, is responsible for strategy and operative management of all divisions for CENTROSOLAR Group AG, including Centrosolar America, Inc. He has been a member of the management board since 2005. Dr. Müller-Groeling has more than seven years of experience in the energy and financial services industries. He is a former McKinsey Associate Principal with focus on strategy, risk management and M&A.
Dr. Thomas Kneip
Vice President, Finance and Strategy, CENTROSOLAR Group AG
Dr. Thomas Kneip joined CENTROSOLAR Group AG in 2007. His responsibilities include investor relations, controlling, budgeting and reporting, as well as strategic projects. Dr. Kneip brings more than a decade of experience in strategy, business development and finance. Before joining Centrosolar, he worked at Siemens VDO, a multi-billion automotive electronics supplier, as head of Corporate Strategy. Prior to that, he rose up the ranks at McKinsey & Co., managing and consulting top clients on growth and strategy. Dr. Kneip holds a PhD in Business Administration and an MBA from Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management.