Executive Team

Mr. Mao served as CEO of 3Com Corporation (Nasdaq: COMS) from 2008-2010 and was on the company’s Board of Directors from 2007-2010. Mr. Mao successfully completed the sale of 3Com to Hewlett-Packard Company in Apr. 2010 and later served as the Chairman of HP China from 2013-2016. Prior to 3Com Corporation, Mr. Mao held executive positions at Norte Networks, Alcatel, and the U.S. multinational ITT in Asia and the United States. He also held CEO positions at Asian private companies selling industrial products into global markets.

Mr. Mao currently serves on the Board of the privately-held Ubee Interactive Corporation, a supplier of broadband access equipment and devices to multimedia and telecom service providers worldwide. Mr. Mao also served as a Board Director of Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co. Ltd., from 2018-2019, Foxconn Industrial Internet Co. Ltd. (FII) from 2017-2018, Cypress Semiconductors Corporation from 2014-2015, and Yulon-Nissan-Nissan Motor Company from 2004-2018.

The companies whose Boards Mr. Mao has served on cover an extensive range of industries and global markets including telecommunication, networking and information equipment and devices, semiconductors, automotive vehicles, software service, and other industrial products. Mr. Mao had also served as board member of international and national industry and trade associations.

Mr. Mao is a graduate of Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and a master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He also holds a master’s degree in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Previously, Mr. Ballard held senior positions for nearly 15 years at private equity fund managers, including Orox Capital Management and SigmaBleyzer Investment Group, investing in the United States, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. During this time he was responsible for directly leading as well as collaborating with portfolio company teams to develop and implement long-term strategic plans, and to improve finance, back office and manufacturing operations in private and public companies. As Executive Director at SigmaBleyzer, he was also responsible for fund operations and investor relations. Mr. Ballard also held multiple CFO roles with pre-IPO venture-backed companies as Managing Director of Lanterne Advisors, LLC.

Mr. Ballard is a Certified Financial Analyst and Chartered Management Accountant, holds a Global MBA in Finance from Arizona State University Thunderbird School of Global Business, and a BA in Russian Studies from the University of Iowa.

Previously, he served as Energy Recovery’s Managing Director of Engineering. Previous to joining Energy Recovery, he served a 12-year term at General Electric Company, starting at the General Electric Global Research Center, where he led the development of abradable seals for steam and gas turbines. Dr. Ghasripoor also developed a solid particle erosion protection system for steam path airfoils, which is currently implemented in GE steam turbines to substantially extend the life of turbine blades. Prior to joining General Electric, he spent 9.5 years at Sulzer’s R&D division in Switzerland as a Mechanical Engineer leading projects to improve performance of large marine engines, compressors & pumps. He is the named inventor on 67 US patent applications, of which 37 have been granted to date, and has authored articles for 20 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Ghasripoor earned his PhD and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Brunel University of West London in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Yeung’s 20 years of experience encompass securities laws, corporate governance and compliance, corporate strategy, SEC reporting and regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and general contracts. His clients have included Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, Citigroup Global Markets, Lehman Brothers, UBS, Salomon Smith Barney, BNP Paribas, Del Monte, Sony Capital Corporation, McDonald’s Corporation, KBC Bank, The Interpublic Group of Companies, The Bank of New York, United Technologies Corporation, and Nortel Networks. He began practicing law at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York and practiced at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco.

Mr. Yeung earned a JD from New York University School of Law and a BA in Asian Studies from Boston College.

Mr. Clemente has extensive international experience with expertise spanning several verticals, including operations, business development, sales and marketing, and he continues to provide a high level of system design, technical consultation, and commercial support for customers worldwide. He is an active member of many of the leading industry organizations, such as the International Desalination Association and the American Membrane Technology Association.

Mr. Clemente earned an Executive MBA at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a BS in Industrial Engineering from California State University, East Bay.

Mr. Chen holds more than 50 patents. Prior to joining Energy Recovery, Mr. Chen had extensive experience in the energy space, most recently as Vice President of Upwing Energy. He also served in a variety of leadership roles at Halliburton, CNPC, and Schlumberger. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from the National Taiwan University, and an MBA from Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

Previously, Mr. Bensalah held senior positions with ABB Inc. and Aegion Corporation, where he gained global experience in the power equipment manufacturing, automotive parts production, infrastructure rehabilitation, and oil and gas industries. He brings 20 years of experience in a variety of technical and operational leadership roles, including quality assurance, application engineering, new product development, project management, mergers & acquisitions, and field service & manufacturing operations.

Mr. Bensalah earned an Executive MBA from Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School, an MS in Engineering Management from Western Michigan University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Temple University.

Mr. Siccardi brings extensive equity investment experience, having spent over 20 years on the energy equity research teams of Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, in institutional equity sales at Societe Generale, as portfolio manager and Global Head of Energy for HSBC Asset Management, and in Investor Relations at Occidental Petroleum. Additionally, Mr. Siccardi launched and managed a Natural Resource Hedge Fund at PAW Capital Partner in Greenwich, CT.

Mr. Siccardi’s sell-side, buy-side and corporate background provides him a unique perspective to understand the various needs of the diverse group of Energy Recovery stakeholders with whom he regularly interacts. He takes great pride in initiating and building the relationships that have helped Energy Recovery surge to record levels, and positioning Energy Recovery’s Investor Relations Department to be recognized as Runner-up in Investor Relation Magazine’s Top Small Cap Investor Relations Department (2020).

Mr. Siccardi earned an MBA in Finance, with a focus in Investments, from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, and a BA in Finance, with a minor in Accounting, from Villanova University.

After leading the successful launch of Energy Recovery’s ESG program, Kelley continues to oversee the program’s development across all departments and geographies. Under her leadership, the program has been awarded an MSCI ESG Rating of “AA,” and won IR Magazine’s award for “Best ESG Communications” and “Best ESG Reporting among small to mid-cap companies.”

Kelley joined Energy Recovery from Recurrent Energy, one of the largest solar project developers in the United States, where she oversaw marketing, community and stakeholder engagement, public affairs, media relations and communications strategy. Prior to Recurrent Energy, Kelley kicked off her career with NBC’s special projects team in San Jose, California and communications agencies in New York and San Francisco, with a focus on technology policy and communications.

Kelley previously served on for the board for the International Desalination Association’s Young Leaders Program and the Young Professionals in Energy leadership committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.