Tour Leaders

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  Richard Youngman, CEO, Cleantech Group

  Since January 2016, Richard Youngman has been CEO of San-Francisco based Cleantech Group (CTG). This followed 7 years of driving the growth of CTG’s activities outside North America, especially in Europe and Israel, and Asia, based in CTG’s office in London.

  Richard has more than eight years experience researching cleantech innovation, venture capital markets, and start-ups across Europe and globally. He is a regular keynote speaker at major cleantech events and is the driving force behind the annual Global Cleantech 100, a list of the world’s most promising private cleantech companies.

  Before CTG, he was Vice President of Research & Operations at Library House, where he ran the Research team, which discovered and collected the information about high-growth companies that underpinned that company’s data, analytical, and event services. Before Library House, Richard ran his own advisory firm conducting research and consulting on the measurement and evaluation of intangible assets and intellectual capital for organizations such as the European Commission. This followed nine years building a broad-based finance and research background with leading financial institutions such as ABN AMRO, Barclays Capital and BZW in the City of London. His work was centered on the debt markets and revolved around financing M&A deals and advising clients on achieving alignment between their financial and strategic plans.

  Richard has an MA from Cambridge University, and an MBA from Theseus International Management Institute, Sophia Antipolis, France.

  
  

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  Leo Zhang, Senior Analyst, Cleantech Group

  At Cleantech Group, Leo’s work revolves around the company’s core mission in accelerating sustainable innovation. Specifically, Leo supports a broad range of clients across the entire cleantech innovation ecosystem on technology scouting, market research, and advisory services. In addition, he also supports the company’s activities in China, including the company’s annual Cleantech China Tour, which convenes a select group of leading Western investors and start-ups in China for a week of meetings and network-building.

  Leo earned a B.S. in Biotechnology with a minor in Technology Management from the University of California, Davis and a M.S. in Bioenergy from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His graduate work focused on the interdisciplinary challenges in implementing and commercializing bioenergy solutions.