Chinese | Customer Login | Contact
Our Team

Leadership

David Johnson, President & CEO
David JohnsonDavid Johnson joined Achates Power in August 2008 as president and CEO. In this capacity, Johnson is applying his 20 years of industry experience to accelerate development of revolutionary internal combustion engines that provide superior fuel efficiency at lower cost, and ultimately, furthers the company's goal of enabling a more sustainable future. As such, Johnson is responsible for technical, commercial and business development as well as sales, financials and operations, and is a member of the Achates Power board of directors. Johnson was previously vice president of product operations for military and export markets at Navistar. He served as program manager for the MaxxProTM line of Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles, which were delivered in record time and record quantities for deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan to better protect U.S. soldiers. Prior to Navistar, Johnson worked for General Motors and Ford Motor Company. At GM he was program manager and chief engineer for multiple clean-diesel engine programs for Opel, Saab and Renault passenger vehicles. Johnson's professional career began at Ford Motor Company where he led the development and launch of the SuperDuty with an all new diesel engine, the highest volume diesel-powered pickup truck on the market. Johnson earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Cornell University.

John Koszewnik, Chief Technical Officer
John KoszewnikJohn Koszewnik joined Achates Power in June 2011 as chief technical officer. In this role, Koszewnik will leverage his nearly 40 years of experience in the powertrain industry to further the development of Achates Power's clean, efficient internal combustion engine design. Koszewnik was previously director of production development for FEV, Inc., an engineering services and consulting company, where he was responsible for ensuring that all functional requirements, quality, cost and timing of production programs were met. He also supported product development and strategic study projects for the automotive, heavy truck, locomotive and powertrain component supply industries. Prior to FEV, Koszewnik was a senior vice president at Case New Holland, an agricultural and construction equipment manufacturer, where he managed 10 engineering centers worldwide. Prior to Case New Holland, Koszewnik was at Ford Motor Co. for 30 years, most recently as director of North American Diesel. In this role, he improved quality and customer satisfaction with the power stroke diesel engine and implemented design and manufacturing strategies that resulted in significant cost savings. While at Ford, Koszewnik also was responsible for the engine engineering of all Ford's gasoline V6, V8 and V10 engines. Koszewnik earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a master's degree in general management from Harvard University.

Jim Lemke, Founder and Chief Scientist
James LemkeJames Lemke is a serial entrepreneur, with a history of founding and leading companies to successful exits, and a personal passion for science, engineering and education. He founded Achates Power, Inc. in 2004 with an idea that would revolutionize the automotive industry by revitalizing the opposed-piston two-stroke engine. As an influential physicist holding almost 100 patents, Lemke understood the rapidly increasing shortage of fuel and greater need for emissions reduction meant the world needed a solution. That solution came in a 1930s-era engine architecture that demonstrated great potential but momentum had dissipated when the tools of the time couldn't produce an efficient version. Lemke knew the tools and the talent were now available to answer the transportation crisis. He started Achates Power with a collection of the brightest engineers and scientists with the condition that ideas and discourse flow unabated and the expectation that each fulfill their utmost potential. While amassing top talent in the industry, Lemke's vision began to manifest results. However, instead of an engine that only moderately answered the need for efficiency, the Achates Power engine realized a full 16 percent better fuel consumption than the industry's best diesel engines (over 50 percent more fuel efficient than a standard gasoline engine) at lower emissions levels and at 10 percent lower cost. While Lemke always believed in the engine's viability, now the results have shown the industry the potential economic savings of trillions of dollars per year on fuel and components, and billions of gallons of fuel saved per year.

Prior to starting Achates Power, Lemke was the CEO and founder of Spin Physics, Inc., which developed and patented magnetic recording transducers that employ unique magnetic materials instrumental to broadcast TV recording. At one time 50 percent of the broadcast hours on television worldwide were recorded on Spin Physics' magnetic heads. Lemke sold the company to Eastman Kodak and became a fellow of the Kodak Research Labs. Earlier in his career Lemke was the research director of Bell and Howell Research, as well as an adjunct professor at the University of California, San Diego. He holds nearly 100 patents with the U.S. patent office. Lemke is a member of the National Academy of Engineering as well as a fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Lemke earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a master's degree in physics from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Fabien Redon, VP Performance & Emissions
Fabien RedonFabien Redon joined Achates Power in 2009. He is responsible for the performance and emission development of the Achates Power opposed piston engine, including support of customer projects and combustion development. Redon has led the development work which unlocked the opposed piston engine combustion system, allowing for demonstrable superior performance when compared to four-stroke engines. Before joining Achates Power, Redon was a lead development engineer for General Motors Corporation, where he led the vehicle development of the 4.5L Duramax engine, built for light duty trucks in the US market. The engines met all the production development targets including the most challenging emissions levels in the world for diesel engines. Earlier in his career Redon was an advanced development and application engineer for Detroit Diesel Corporation. While there he coordinated the integration of advanced diesel engines in light duty vehicles, and was responsible for the Mercedes medium duty diesel engine application for Freightliner. Redon earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Florida Institute of Technology, a Master of Engineering in automotive engineering from the University of Michigan and will be completing his Master of Business Administration from the University of California, San Diego in 2012.

Michael Wahl, VP Engineering & Chief Engineer
Michael WahlMichael Wahl joined Achates Power in 2004 and as vice president of engineering and chief engineer, oversees all technical aspects of engine development and is heavily involved in the technical planning. He also manages the test cell group and in-house testing facilities. While at the company Wahl created the analytical capability of the business, as well as co-developed many of the patents for Achates' unique two-stroke diesel engine. Before joining Achates Power Wahl was the senior staff scientist and project manager for a new biotechnology product line at Veeco Instruments, which manufactures precision equipment for the data storage and semiconductor industries. Prior to Veeco, he was a senior staff scientist and project manager at Optimag Inc., a supplier of automated optical defect inspection and process control equipment that was acquired by Veeco. While at Optimag, Wahl developed a unique autofocus system for the company as well as being a co-inventor on many of the company's patents. Wahl has a Diplom Ingenieur from the University of Stuttgart, as well as a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, San Diego.

Eric Dion, VP Mechanical Systems
Eric DionEric Dion joined Achates Power in 2004, where he leads design, analysis and development of engine hardware. During his tenure at Achates Power, Dion was a critical part of the construction and commission of the company's first engine test cell system. He manages engineers and technicians who are involved with the planning, scheduling, testing, instrumentation and data analysis responsibilities for a high power density, low specific fuel consumption diesel engine. Prior to Achates Power, Dion was the lead powertrain engineer for Indian Motorcycles, Inc., where he redesigned and assisted with the launch of a PP100 engine. Earlier in his career he was a performance development engineer for the Chrysler Corporation, where he was part of an engineering concept and design team responsible for the engine used in the championship-winning Dodge Stratus super touring car. While there he also worked on the development of engine calibrations and performance parts for Chrysler-supported amateur and professional racing series. Dion earned a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Science from the University of Vermont, both in mechanical engineering.

Larry Fromm, VP Business and Strategy Development
Laurence FrommLaurence Fromm joined Achates Power in 2004 as the market-facing executive of the company's founding team. While managing the business development, government relations and marketing for Achates Power, Fromm leads engagements with leading engine, commercial vehicle, and passenger vehicle manufacturers around the globe. Prior to Achates Power, Fromm served as CEO of Chaos Telecom, a venture-backed early-stage company, where he helped create the company's first product – licensed embedded software for digital subscriber line modems. Prior to Chaos Telecom, Fromm was the vice president of Widcomm, Inc. (sold to Broadcom Corporation), where he managed development of the Bluetooth LAN access point and developed the company's channel program in Europe, North America and Asia. Previously, Fromm was part of the executive team at Dialogic as the company grew to $400M in annual revenue, went public, and was purchased by Intel Corporation. In addition to his responsibilities with Achates Power, Fromm is a board member of NCast, Inc., a company developing a webcasting Internet appliance, as well as a steering committee member of CommNexus NextStage, a nonprofit industry organization that mentors early stage companies through an entrepreneur advisory program. Fromm earned a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, in computer engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Shauna McIntyre, VP, Planning, Programs & Strategy
Shauna McIntyreShauna McIntyre joined Achates Power in 2008, where she manages joint development programs with customers and leads the company's strategic plans and financial budgets. During her tenure with the company McIntyre has established relationships with leading automotive and commercial vehicle manufacturers as well as government and academia members, while defining the commercial and technical growth strategy for Achates Power. Before joining Achates Power, McIntyre was the vice president, commercial vehicle platform management, of Honeywell Turbo Technologies. There she defined and drove the growth strategy to double the market share of the global commercial vehicle turbo business and led teams around the world that developed and launched new turbochargers for engine manufacturers to satisfy increasingly stringent emissions regulations. Prior to Honeywell, McIntyre was a senior associate of McKinsey & Company where she drove productivity improvements of clients' global research and development departments. McIntyre started her career at Ford Motor Company where she held numerous leadership roles in manufacturing and product development in Europe and the U.S. McIntyre is a board member of the non-profit North American Council for Freight Efficiency, which aims to improve the North American freight industry. McIntyre earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles; a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley; and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Back To Top