Ryze Hydrogen announces senior hires

Neil Isaacson, Ryze Hydrogen’s new Chief Executive. (Photos: Ryze Hydrogen)

Ryze Hydrogen has appointed three new senior managers to its team, and the company said all the hires have experience in providing zero-emissions solutions across all fuel types, as well as the deployment of new grid connections, charging infrastructure and bus depots.

Neil Isaacson, Ryze’s new CEO, has worked across Europe, the Middle East and the UK, helping companies rapidly bring to market new products, services and propositions that help to transform performance.

The company said Isaacson’s passion for addressing climate change began with senior roles at Liberty Global and Drax Group. More recently, Neil served as CEO of public EV chargepoint operator Believ.

“I am delighted to be joining the Ryze team and to be joining with two new colleagues who have so much experience in the zero-emissions sector,” Isaacson said. “If we are serious about meeting net-zero targets, we have to be honest and accept that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. It will take a range of technologies and hydrogen is a key part of that. [The] industry is faced with a lot of challenges given the pace of change we need to see, but those challenges also present enormous opportunities, and Ryze is perfectly placed to help companies meet their objectives.”

Garry Birmingham, Ryze’s new managing director of infrastructure delivery

Ryze also hired Garry Birmingham as its new managing director of infrastructure delivery. He is the former program director for carbon reduction at First Bus, and his role included playing a key role in producing the long-term strategy for the firm and delivering the UK’s largest rapid charging hub, in Glasgow.

More recently, Birmingham was responsible for successful bids for Scotzeb and Zebra funding, resulting in a further 400 buses and seven depots that will be delivered and operational by March 2024 and will include four zero-emission bus fleets.

“The team at Ryze are at the forefront of the hydrogen economy in this country, and I am excited to be joining at such an important time both for the company and for the hydrogen industry as a whole,” Birmingham said. “Businesses, operators, local and national government are all contending with the challenges that net zero brings, and Ryze has a key role in solving that.”

Carl Buckingham, Ryze’s new service solutions director, is a chartered engineer who has worked in the energy and sustainability sector for the last 35 years with experience in distributed energy, low-carbon buildings and transportation.

Carl Buckingham, Ryze’s new service solutions director

For the past decade, Carl has been focusing predominantly on the transport sector developing electrification solutions for large fleet operators, working for organizations such as SSE Enterprise, UK Power Networks Services and Zenobe Energy.

“This is a great time to be joining Ryze,” Buckingham said. “The company is involved in a number of exciting schemes [that] demonstrate the real-world applications of hydrogen and evidence its importance in the UK’s net-zero ambitions. I am thrilled to be a part of that.”

Ryze supplies clean hydrogen and hydrogen infrastructure for transport, industry and other applications, providing complete, customer-focused, solutions including hydrogen sourcing, transport, distribution and infrastructure.

“As a company, we are entering an exciting new phase which requires drive and ambition and we are delighted to welcome Neil, Garry and Carl to the team to help deliver on that vision,” said Ryze CFO Jamie Burns. “Their collective experience across the zero-emissions field will benefit us enormously.”