Australian hydrogen technology company Hysata has announced the appointment of former UK Climate Change Minister Claire O’Neill to its Global Advisory Council.
Chaired by Australia’s former Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel AC, the council’s role is to provide input into Hysata’s strategy for delivering its electrolyser globally into multiple hard-to-abate customer segments including steelmaking, heavy transport, and the chemical industry.
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O’Neill entered UK politics in 2007 as a policy advisor to George Osborne before becoming an MP in 2010. She served in several Ministerial positions before becoming Climate Change Minister and then Minister for Energy and Clean Growth where she drove the acceleration of the UK’s Net Zero policies and investments and steered the UK’s COP26 bid and agenda.
“Claire is a tremendous addition to Hysata’s Global Advisory Council. Her extensive knowledge of the renewable energy sector and first-hand experience developing energy policy will be hugely valuable in guiding Hysata’s business in Europe,” Hysata CEO Paul Barrett said.
“We have been making tremendous progress on our technology, building our team and interacting with hundreds of major customers globally. We are scaling up our technology and moving towards deployment into pilot projects and welcome Claire’s expertise to support Hysata delivering this high efficiency electrolyser to European partners.”
O’Neill has incredible passion and experience in the energy transition and is considered a global expert on sustainability and decarbonisation with a particular focus on practical action and the leading role of the private sector. As a Minister she implemented the UK’s Clean Growth Strategy, negotiated the UK’s Offshore Wind Sector Deal and brought forward the ground-breaking legislation that committed the UK to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050.
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She now co-chairs the Global Imperatives Advisory Board for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and serves as a main Board Director for Occidental Petroleum and Climate Impact X. She is also a Senior Global Advisor for McKinsey and Company and an advisor to the international investment firm Hambro Perks.
“I am really excited to join the Hysata team. The company’s underlying tech position, clear strategy and global potential all add up to a potentially game-changing acceleration of decarbonisation solutions for the highest emitting industries,” O’Neill said.
