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Executive Team

Pinnacle Engines is a Silicon Valley-based technology company developing ultra-efficient engines for both transportation and stationary applications. Its founders pioneered the patented Pinnacle Engines architecture and the Cleeves cycle, an ultra-efficient internal combustion engine design that uses fewer parts, produces lower emissions, and will be brought to market at the same or lower cost than current mass production engines.

	Ron Hoge, Chairman and CEO Ron Hoge became CEO of Pinnacle Engines in early 2011 after serving on its Board since its inception. He has forty years of business experience with executive leadership roles in eight different companies, from Fortune 500 firms to venture-backed startups. His background includes positions as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cummins Power Generation (Onan), President and Chief Executive of Magnetek, and President of a $1.5 billion aerospace division of Allied Signal. Overall, he has led businesses on three continents through startup, growth, reorganization, and disposition challenges. He is currently a Director at two other cleantech startups, NovaTorque, Inc., and Glacier Bay, Inc. He is also on the President’s Advisory Council of ACCION International, and a Trustee of the EARTH University Foundation. Ron has a BA in Mathematics from Amherst College and an MBA in Marketing from Stanford University..
	Monty Cleeves, Founder, President, and CTO James Montague (Monty) Cleeves earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Santa Clara in 1973. He had a thirty-year career in the semiconductor industry, but his passion has always been engines and engine efficiency. His career spanned engineering and management at Fairchild/National Semiconductor, Cypress Semiconductor, Candescent, and Matrix—ultimately becoming CEO of Kovio. Over the course of his career, he has been granted more than eighty-five patents and currently has more than eighty applications pending. In August of 2007, he refocused his career when he founded Pinnacle Engines to commercialize his ideas for bringing significant efficiency improvements in internal combustion engines to consumers.
	Alessandro Zago, Vice President of Global Business Development - Asia and Emerging Markets Alessandro joins Pinnacle Engines with more than 10 years of international and operational experience ranging from clean technology startups to venture capital to large corporations. Prior to Pinnacle, he oversaw corporate development for APTwater, Inc., a Kleiner-backed water company commercializing advanced water treatment processes for water reuse. He also served as Director of Venture Technology at Siemens' Technology-to-Business Center and led its investments in early-stage, clean-tech start-ups. He served in various positions at The BMW Group, including Innovation Manager at the BMW International Purchasing Department. Alessandro holds an executive MBA from INSEAD and a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.
	Bijitendu "Biji" Sarma Sarker, VP of International Business Development – India Leveraging his rich experience in the Indian auto industry, "Biji" Sarker oversees Pinnacle’s India expansion plans and is based out of India.  Biji’s automotive experience covers his leadership roles as Business Head-RECON trucks at Ashok Leyland where he was responsible for implementing a new service strategy and as a founding team member at Cummins Auto Service in India. Prior to this Biji had manufacturing roles at Tata Motors, Exide and GE lighting.  Before joining Pinnacle Engines, as VP Business Development & Strategy at VXL, Biji worked with the Board and CEO to put in place a turnaround strategy.  Biji holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from BIT, MESRA and has graduated with an MBA from the Sloan Fellowship program at LondonBusiness School.
	Dr. Simon Jackson, Chief Engineer – TP90 Simon has nineteen years of design and development of internal combustion engines. He began his professional career at Cosworth Racing in the UK immediately after completing a Ph.D in IC engine fuel systems at University College London, where he also obtained his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Simon worked in the American Racing Department at Cosworth, covering areas from valve train, induction systems, piston design and dyno development work.  Prior to entering university Simon worked for Neil Twyman Racing, a classic race car restoration shop based in Hertford, England.  Simon moved to the USA in 2005 and joined Pinnacle Engines in 2008.
	Tom Covington, VP Marketing and Special Projects With a passion for engines and startups, Tom Covington has been with Pinnacle Engines since its earliest days.  Before joining forces with Monty Cleeves, he spent several years as the founding CEO of Ardica Technologies, a micro fuel cell company focused on consumer and military applications. Before that he worked for Honda Racing as an engineer for their CART program, helping them capture three Manufacturers’ Cups and four Drivers’ Championships. Tom holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University, and both an MBA and a MS in Manufacturing & Systems Engineering from Stanford University.