Hyzon Motors Inc., a global supplier of zero-emission heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicles, has announced that Dr. Bappa Banerjee has been named chief operating officer (COO), effective May 1, 2023. As the company’s first chief operating officer, Dr. Banerjee will oversee Hyzon Motors’ global operations, manufacturing, engineering, commercial and end-to-end supply chain. In this role, Dr. Banerjee will lead the operations team to ensure delivery of high-quality products to customers and provide strategic direction for Hyzon’s continued growth as the company develops and delivers hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles throughout its markets.
“Dr. Banerjee will be a critical part of Hyzon’s leadership team as we continue working toward our mission of producing zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell powered commercial vehicles,” said Hyzon CEO Parker Meeks. “His experience includes a rare combination of driving global engineering in powertrain development and implementing world-class manufacturing and operating processes across markets. Bappa brings the industry background and leadership expertise to take Hyzon fuel cell electric trucks to production and commercialization with strong global safety and quality standards, and excellent regional execution.”
A seasoned expert in the heavy mobility and manufacturing industries, Dr. Banerjee has more than two decades of experience leading operations, engineering and commercial functions for global companies including GE Transportation, a Wabtec Co. and Caterpillar. Throughout his career, Dr. Banerjee has held full profit and loss responsibilities at multi-billion-dollar top-line businesses, and demonstrated a proven track record of growing sales across international markets while reducing costs through the implementation of Lean Manufacturing processes.
“I have long been convinced of hydrogen’s critical role in decarbonizing transport, and Hyzon Motors is uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology and transportation, working toward a clean energy future,” said Dr. Banerjee. “The opportunity to tangibly impact our lives by reducing carbon and noise emissions for our communities excites me tremendously. I look forward to joining the talented team at Hyzon and applying my industry and operational experience to help accelerate the production of zero-emission hydrogen vehicles.”
Most recently, Dr. Banerjee served as Vice President, Mining Equipment at GE Transportation where he led the new technology development, design, production, and sale of electric drive propulsion systems for mining equipment, including aftermarket. This included developing battery and fuel cell electric solutions, purpose-built to meet the needs of the challenging, harsh mining environment. In this role, Dr. Banerjee oversaw the sales, marketing, and supply chain localization for global growth.
Prior to his role at GE Transportation, Dr. Banerjee held progressing roles at Caterpillar in the Resource Industries Division, where he served as Worldwide Product Head of Off-Highway Trucks & Wheel Tractor Scrapers, and Facility Head for Caterpillar Remanufacturing China & Japan. Dr. Banerjee was a crucial leader in establishing a long-term strategic plan for Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai), developing local leadership, establishing a succession pipeline, and growing the business.
Dr. Banerjee has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering, a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Binghamton University, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University. He also earned his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Dr. Banerjee has taught as a Visiting Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University and Bradley University, holds two U.S. patents and wrote a textbook in mechanics.
This appointment follows the appointments Hyzon has made in recent months of CEO Parker Meeks, interim Chief Financial Officer Jiajia Wu, President of International Operations John Edgley, and President of North America Pat Griffin.
