Alexander A. Karsner

Committees: 

Environment, Safety and Public Policy; Nominating and Governance

Attributes and skills:

• Risk management / Investment stewardship experience
• Public policy / Regulatory experience
• Relevant scientific / Technology experience
• Low carbon solutions technology and safety experience
• Financial expertise and portfolio management
• Global business experience

Expertise provided to the Board:

Mr. Karsner’s energy policy and diplomacy experience, in addition to his background in commercializing breakthrough energy technologies, provides the Board with important perspectives on geopolitical risks and investment opportunities for profitably managing the energy transition. Mr. Karsner’s public service as US Assistant Secretary of Energy, a senior regulatory official, and a principal US negotiator to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change contributes an in-depth understanding of US and international energy policy. His energy sector experience, including energy infrastructure development in emerging markets, helps the Board better understand public and private-sector considerations when executing its strategy.

Qualifications:

X  (formerly Google X) Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory

• Senior Strategist (2013 to present)

Emerson Collective

• Managing Partner and co-founder of Elemental (2016 to 2019)

Vantage Point Venture Capital

• Venture Partner (2009 to 2014)

Hudson Private Equity

• Senior Advisor (2009 to 2014)

Department of Energy

• U.S. Assistant Secretary (2006 to 2008)

Current public company directorships: 

Applied Materials, Inc. (2008 to present; member of the Corporate Governance & Nominating and Human Resources & Compensation Committees)

Previous public company directorships in last five years:

Broadscale Acquisition Corp. (2021 to 2023)

Business and public policy experience:

Council on Foreign Relations Working Group on Energy Transition (co-chair), and U.S.-India and U.S.-China Track II diplomatic climate bi-laterals; National Petroleum Council (former member) Energy Futures Initiative; Trilateral Commission (member); Gas Technology Institute (former Director); Argonne National Laboratory (former Director)

Sustainability, scientific and academic affiliations:

MIT Energy Initiative (MIT ei) (advisory board); University of Chicago Booth School; Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship (advisory board); Conservation International (Director), Elemental Labs (Founder; Chairman), National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (Trustee Emeritus), Aspen Institute Clean Energy Forum (Founder), American Academy of Arts & Sciences Accelerating Climate Action Commission (member), Stanford University Precourt Institute for Energy (member, Board of Advisors), Hoover Institution Shultz-Stephenson Energy Task Force (member), Stanford Natural Capital Project (Advisory Board), MIT Media Lab (Advisory Board).