PAUL WILLIAM SKILLICORN
CO-Founder, Managing Partner and Technical Director A leading International Development Expert and highly qualified Water, Wastewater, Agriculture, Food & Renewable Energy Professional with international experience at academic, institutional and field levels and involving science, training, technology, institutional development, project development, fund raising and management. Key Strengths include:
Paul has worked at a senior level in a wide range of academic, R&D, technical and operational roles throughout the world. Paul Skillicorn, founding member of Agriquatics & Skillicorn Technologies, currently heads the company and its parent, Biotechnology Research and Development. Paul has developed replicable farming protocols, employing it in treatment of wastewater and optimizing its use as a feed for poultry, swine, cattle, fish and prawns. Paul is the inventor / developer / owner of the proprietary SKILLICORN water technologies which uses a 100% natural process. In Bangladesh, he pioneered the Shobuj Shona (literally “Green Gold”) by joint venturing with rural villagers in both agriculture and small industry. Paul has also co-authored a book on “Duckweed Aquaculture”, a prolific contributor of articles based on pilots internationally and is an acknowledged international expert in the duckweed water treatment systems. An economist and environmental engineer, Paul continues to publish selective research (number over 25 publications in books and peer reviewed journal) lecture widely in universities across the US, and present to scientific meetings. An inveterate inventor, Paul holds eight USPTO patents and patents pending – ranging from The Skillicorn System, and automated systems for cultivating Lemnaceae species to methods by which to remove phosphorus, in a useable form, from waste streams. |
Mani Vannan
Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Finance Director Mani has more than 40 years’ experience in multi-national bank and governments in international business, finance, energy consultancy, and environmental management and has raised over US$ 1 billion of funding for diverse energy and infrastructure related companies. B.Sc.Ag., M.Sc.Ag., (Econ.), DTD., Co-founder, Managing Partner & Finance Director, SKILLICORN Technologies LLC, USA & SKILLIORN Technologies (UK) Ltd, London Senior Adviser – International Business, NanoPV Solar Inc., USA Senior Adviser – ENMAS Limited, London Mani is a former Faculty Member, Staff College & Agribusiness Economist with Indian Overseas Bank, Madras, India and former Investment Director at Frontier Power Ltd, London
Mani's wide-ranging commercial banking, private equity and project finance experience includes, Agribusiness and Real Estate, Chemicals, Electronics, Mining and Steel and in the Energy sector, Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy, Clean Technologies, and Wastewater Recycling. Mani has specialized in designing and implementing public – private partnerships and conducted business valuation, due diligence, and the business modeling of power and other infrastructure projects including wastewater recycling, renewable energy and waste to energy. Mani has over 40 years’ experience as a banker, corporate finance practitioner, renewable energy expert and as an adviser to governments, public and private sector companies and to not for profit organizations. |
Ramiro Priale
Partner and Commercial Director Ramiro has an European Diploma in Advanced Studies and a Ph.D., in Economics and Business Management from University of Seville, Spain. Ramiro is a university professor, author and international management consultant and is fluent in Spanish, English and Italian. Over 20 years of experience in Information Systems design, applied informatics and project management. Ramiro has been involved in the management of international information systems projects at UNOP, IICA-OEA, and Pan-American Health Organization – PAHO/WHO, Washington DC since 1993. Nominee candidate to the Parvin Program Fellowship of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton (1988). Ramiro was the senior management executive and Technical Director of the Health Information System and Management Information System -HIS/MIS – a 4.7 million dollars USAID project granted to Perú, to build its national statistics health information system (1992). Lecturer at many private and public institutions: ESAN, IPAE, Ebert Foundation, and Pan-American Health Organization - PAHO/WHO, in México, Ecuador, Perú and Washington D.C. USA. Author of PAGUM banking system in 2001 – with intellectual property registered at INDECOPI (Peruvian National Patent Office). |
GOPI MANIVANNAN
Enterprise solutions architect AI & Emerging technologies Gopi is a founder, software, robotics, A.I. & M.L. engineer with experience working for American Express as a business analyst, technical architect & portfolio manager. He has a keen interest in enterprise software / hardware technologies, automation, robotics engineering, user interface design, technologies focusing on cloud computing, quantum computing, A.I. vision, pattern recognition, innovative & intuitive human / machine interfaces and is also widely recognised as a creative & effective technical trouble-shooter and problem solver with excellent attention to detail. Gopi is passionate about the silicon valley, circular economy, industrial automation, clean energy smart manufacturing, solar + green hydrogen technologies, food, water & energy security, data-driven biodynamics, energy production, sustainability, environmental protection and believes that the precursor to a sustainable energy + food systems will be the development of a highly automated yet sustainable farming ecosystem that enables and encourages openness, networked innovation, education and hyper-local food and energy production. |
ROBERT ERIC KOTTLER, FICE (Bob)
Water Sector Advisor International Director, Biwater UK (Retd.) Former Managing Director, Christiani Nielsen, India A Professional Civil Engineer with over forty years’ experience, mainly in International Markets working with leading contractors. In addition to Operational Management skills, Bob has worked extensively in Strategic Development and Business Procurement. This has covered Project winning through to Company acquisitions. Bob has expert knowledge of the methods required to bring together Projects, Clients, Partners and Finance. Bob had held executive positions on a number of Boards for over 20 years with full P&L responsibility Experience with specific regard to the Water Sector and to India. As International Director of Biwater, Bob was in charge of the design and construction of major water and wastewater schemes in over thirty-five countries. The list of projects involved is extremely extensive, but a limited number of those that are the most relevant: Water: Omdurman Water Treatment Plant, Sudan. Value $130m 200mld Tamale Water Treatment Plant, Ghana. Value $56m 45mld Abuja Water Treatment Plant, Nigeria, Value $150m 200mld Negombo Water Treatment Plant and network. Value $45m Mendoza water Treatment Plant, Panama, Value $85m 120mld Other plants in Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Philippines, France, Romania, Abu Dhabi, Malaysia, Singapore, Viet Nam. Wastewater: Stonecutters Island WWTP, Hong Kong. 2,400mld Khenifra Treatment Plant, Morocco Managua WWTP, Nicaragua. 300mld As Managing Director of Christiani & Nielsen, Bob was in charge of the team constructing the Adani Port in Gujarat in India International Experience: Lived and worked in Peru, UAE, Spain, Sweden, Ghana, and Germany. Further extensive international exposure in Greece, Nigeria, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, France, Spain, Sweden, Panama, South Africa, Uganda, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Bahrain, and the Ivory Coast. |
Prof. Simon John Davies (FRSB FIAS)
Scientific advisor Professor Simon J Davies has a BSc degree in Biochemistry, University of Wales, 1978, and a Masters in Animal Nutrition from Newcastle University, 1979 and a PhD from the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Scotland in 1984. He spent two years at the University of Idaho, USA undertaking his postdoctoral fellowship in fish nutrition 1984-86. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of International Aquafeed trade magazine since 2009. Professor Davies has over 36 years’ experience in academia and extensive teaching and research attainment. His aquaculture specialisation is in fish nutrition and feed technology that has enabled over 34 full time PhD student completions and supervision of generations of undergraduate and Masters Students in aquaculture and related biosciences. He has developed and led masters’ programmes in aquaculture at Plymouth University for over 28 years and served 6 years at Harper Adams University, UK and is currently an adjunct Professor at the National University of Ireland, Galway and Emeritus Professor at Harper Adams. He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham and visiting Professor at Bristol University Veterinary School. He has authored over 200 scientific papers, book chapters and commercial reports and was recently appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and a Fellow of the Institution of Aquaculture, Singapore. He has advised many government agencies and grant awarding bodies, and acted as a consultant to numerous commercial companies in biotechnology and the feed industry. Professor Davies has made extensive visits overseas in each continent speaking at prestigious international events and scientific meetings. |
Michael Egan
Business Development From a farming background in County Kerry, Ireland. Mike is a qualified Agricultural Scientist from University College Dublin with a Diploma in Management Practice from The Irish Management Institute as part of The Kerry Group graduate programme. He has gained significant experience in Kerry Foods (poultry, red meat), SME (dairy), consultancy (Rural Environmental Protection Scheme). In Education, he co-developed a new Agricultural Science Foundation Pathway Programme with Bell English with progression agreements with Agricultural Universities around the world, this also includes guest speakers from the Agritech Industry and working closely with a network of educational agents to promote The Circular Economy and recruiting students into this new sector. Mike also has close contacts in farmer organisations and NGO’s. Dividing his time between Italy and Ireland and having an understanding of the Italian language and culture and given that his family background is from the edge of Europe, he is a firm believer in backing new technologies and The Circular Economy to sustain job growth and to enhance a very wide and practical vision of sustainability. Mike is also a member of The Institute of Agricultural Engineers in The UK and The Irish Agricultural Science Teachers’ Association. |