Amperesand, a leading innovator in grid infrastructure solutions, has announced a transformative shift in its executive leadership team with the appointment of three industry titans. Gary Lawrence steps in as Chief Executive Officer, Brian Dow assumes the role of Chief Product Officer, and Tommy Joyner becomes Chief Technology Officer. This strategic move aims to accelerate the global deployment of Amperesand’s groundbreaking Solid State Transformer (SST) hardware and software solutions, which promise to redefine the electrical equipment landscape. By reducing the time required to power infrastructure from 24-36 months to just 100 days, these innovations significantly lower both capital and operational expenditures for a wide range of industries, including data centers, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging systems, renewable energy, energy storage, and industrial applications.
Amperesand’s SST technology is built on highly scalable modules with streamlined supply chains. These solutions replace multiple traditional equipment components, such as medium-voltage transformers, switchgears, and uninterruptible power supplies. By integrating various energy resources and loads into a single system managed by an AI-driven software controller, Amperesand’s SSTs simplify operations and optimize control for enhanced efficiency and resilience.
A Breakthrough Year for Amperesand
In late 2024, Amperesand successfully demonstrated its state-of-the-art 6MW SST platform. This milestone has set the stage for multiple planned deployments in 2025, including a high-profile pilot project with the Port of Singapore in collaboration with PSA International. These efforts mark the beginning of a new era in electrification, where speed and scalability meet the growing global demand for advanced energy solutions.
Visionary Leadership to Scale SST Technology Globally
Gary Lawrence brings decades of experience in driving strategic growth and operational excellence. Prior to joining Amperesand, he spent 11 years at Schneider Electric, where he served as Global President of the Power and Grid segment. During his tenure, Lawrence revolutionized relationships with utility customers, championed digitalization initiatives, and drove sustainable energy projects. Under his leadership, the segment’s revenue more than doubled in just four years, reaching over €3 billion by 2024. Additionally, he founded Schneider’s Global Major Pursuits group, focusing on securing large-scale, complex customer accounts.
Before his time at Schneider Electric, Lawrence held senior leadership roles at ABB, overseeing large-scale electrification projects across diverse markets. Notably, he co-founded ABB’s e-house business unit, scaling it to $900 million in sales within four years. “Over the past years, I have witnessed the rapid acceleration of demand for electrical infrastructure as the world moves toward massive electrification,” remarked Lawrence. “Yet, the energy bottleneck persists—delays in deploying power solutions are slowing progress at a time when speed is critical. As traditional solutions struggle to keep up, I believe our technology is the answer. By drastically reducing time to power, our SST solutions offer the flexibility, efficiency, and resilience to enable electrification on a global scale.”
Senior Technical Leadership to Drive Innovation
Brian Dow, a renowned leader in clean energy innovation, has an impressive track record of delivering high-impact projects. At Tesla, Dow led several groundbreaking initiatives, including the 129MWh Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia, completed in under 100 days. He also played a pivotal role in developing and scaling Tesla’s Powerpack and Megapack lines, revolutionizing energy storage globally. Dow’s expertise extended to the design, validation, and manufacturing of Tesla’s Supercharger V3, setting new industry standards for DC fast charging.
In 2018, Dow achieved a remarkable 14-day overhaul of Tesla’s Model 3 battery production line, doubling throughput and enabling the company to meet its critical production target of 5,000 vehicles per week. He also led Tesla’s 4680 cell formation vertical manufacturing at the Fremont pilot, delivering a 10X improvement in capital and density per GWh. “I have had the great opportunity of working on large-scale PV, battery, and EV design and deployment,” said Dow. “I’m excited about the disruption Amperesand can drive with its SST solutions in both hardware and software through the removal and integration of prior point hardware solutions, as well as the implementation of AI-driven software optimization to maximize resiliency while monetizing diverse assets.”
Innovative Manufacturing Leadership
Tommy Joyner brings over two decades of experience in electronic design, software development, automation, and manufacturing leadership. At Tesla, he played a critical role in designing and manufacturing key energy products such as the Powerwall 3 and 4680 cell formation. He spearheaded the delivery of 150GWh of 4680 cell capacity through a first-of-its-kind software routing engine. Joyner also introduced innovative power architectures, including the first-ever dual-voltage (400V/800V) architecture for Tesla’s Cybertruck, setting a new industry benchmark.
“Scaling advanced energy technologies requires manufacturing capabilities that are as innovative as the products themselves,” said Joyner. “At Amperesand, we’re bringing the same level of ingenuity that defines our transformative SST technology to manufacturing. Amperesand’s modular product architecture is inherently suited for streamlined supply chains and automated manufacturing, which will enable short lead times and cost reductions.”
Guidance from Xora to Ensure Continued Success
Phil Inagaki, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Xora, will step down as Amperesand’s founding CEO, passing the baton to Lawrence. Inagaki will continue to provide strategic direction as Chair of the Board. Amperesand, incubated by Xora and veterans from ABB, General Electric, Siemens, and Vestas, was founded with the vision of revolutionizing the energy landscape. Co-founders Anshuman Tripathi and Gil Jr. Opina spearheaded an eight-year R&D program at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, culminating in a 1.5MW SST system in 2023.
“When we spun Amperesand out of NTU after eight years of world-leading R&D, we believed that we had the foundation to build a business capable of surpassing $1 billion in revenue within the decade,” said Inagaki. “Our plan has always been to seek out exceptional talent with the right expertise to rapidly commercialize SSTs at gigascale. With Gary, Brian, and Tommy joining the team, bringing unmatched leadership across engineering, productization, manufacturing, and go-to-market execution, I am confident we now have the phenomenal team to realize our vision.”
With its cutting-edge technology and an all-star leadership team, Amperesand is poised to drive the next phase of the electrification revolution. As global demand for advanced energy solutions continues to surge, the company is well-positioned to deliver innovative, scalable, and sustainable solutions that will shape the future of energy infrastructure.
