Meet our team
Each of our executives brings years of experience, combined with a customer-centric mindset and a passion to leave the world a better place for future generations.
Dan Leff
Executive Chairman
Dan has extensive experience building and leading global technology and software, energy services, and industrial manufacturing businesses.
He has held leadership roles, including serving as executive chairman of ServiceChannel and Viridity Energy; CEO and board member of Hara Software; advisory partner with private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice; COO of Invensys Energy Management and co-COO of its parent company, Invensys plc. He was also chairman and CEO of Enron Energy Services, where following Enron’s bankruptcy, he led teams that managed the liquidation of Enron’s retail and wholesale businesses. Prior to that, Dan was COO of Enron Energy Services following its acquisition of an energy services company that he co-founded. Dan also served as CEO of a NYC-based energy services company, and prior to that, he was with United Technologies Carrier Air Conditioning in domestic and international assignments.
Dan enjoys contributing his knowledge and experience by serving as an investor, board member, and advisor to a number of businesses and non-profit organizations.
David Bradwell
Co-Founder, Chief Technology Officer
As a co-inventor of Ambri’s liquid metal battery, David received the TR35 award from Technology Review, rated as one of the world’s top 35 innovators under 35.
David leads the technical team to develop the battery technology, with a determined focus on creating a low cost and effective storage technology to meet the strenuous performance and cost demands for bulk-energy stationary storage applications.
David has earned a B.Sc in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University, and an M.Eng. and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Adam Briggs
Chief Commercial Officer
Adam’s career has spanned over three decades advancing new battery and fuel cell products for energy storage, consumer electronics, military and industrial markets. Adam led Duracell’s OEM sales and consulting group. He was president of Millennium Cell and CEO of Acumentrics, fuel cell technology developers and manufacturers. Most recently as the Chief Commercial Officer of NEC Energy Solutions, he led the capture of grid scale energy storage projects for that leading energy storage integrator for a four year period.
Adam’s experience in the introduction of new battery products has been instrumental in guiding Ambri towards energy storage markets and partnerships.
Donald Sadoway
Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Advisor
Donald Sadoway, PhD, has been a professor in the department of Materials Science at MIT for over 40 years. His GroupSadoway lab has pioneered battery technology for Ambri as well as mobile and automobile applications. He is recognized as the world leader in battery technology.
After teaching freshman chemistry for over 25 years, he now lectures in classes on energy and other subjects. He is author of over 170 scientific papers and holder of 30+ U.S. patents. Sadoway pioneered the development of MOE (molten oxide electrolysis), and co-founded the company Boston Metal that is producing metals with no CO2 emissions.
He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Toronto. In 2012 he was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the year by Time Magazine for his work on the Liquid Metal Battery. His TED talk has been viewed over 2,000,000 times.
Nora Murphy
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer
Nora has extensive experience in finance services, corporate and management advisory, and operational financial roles. She began her career as an investment banker at JPMorgan and was later a co-founding member of successive merchant banking firms where she combined her entrepreneurial interests and her institutional skills raising capital and managing relationships with clients and investors across the full range of equity, debt and tax-oriented capital. Nora is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds an MBA from Columbia University.
Marcelo Kim
Board Member
Marcelo Kim is a Partner at Paulson & Co. Inc., where he covers the firm’s macro-economic and natural resource investments across public and private markets. He is a graduate of Yale University and is also the Chairman of Perpetua Resources and International Tower Hill Mines
Lou Von Thaer
Board Member
Lewis “Lou” Von Thaer became President and CEO of Battelle on October 1, 2017. Lou began his technology career with AT&T Bell Laboratories, spent a number of years at General Dynamics, then joined Leidos, Inc. as President of the company’s National Security Sector. Before joining Battelle, Lou served as CEO of DynCorp International. Lou holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University.
He serves as board chair of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, co-chair for UT-Battelle (operator of Oak Ridge National Laboratory), and on the boards of the Defense Science Board, the National Defense Industrial Association, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, National Veterans Memorial and Museum and TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). Lou is a member of the Ohio State University Board of Trustees where he serves on three committees: Audit and Compliance, Finance, and the Talent and Compensation Committee. He also serves as a trustee of the Kansas State University Foundation. He also is a member of the Ohio Business Roundtable and the Columbus Partnership Executive Committee.