Management Team
Know Us by Our Character
The Aker Wade management team brings to the company years of experience in research and industry, entrepreneurial drive, and a commitment to personal and professional integrity. Our goal is to create a company that our customers trust implicitly.
John F. Aker – Chief Technology Officer
John Aker is president, CTO and founding principal of Aker Wade Power Technologies. Prior to founding the company, Mr. Aker worked at Cableform, Inc., where he developed microprocessor-controlled IGBT and MOSFET drive systems for rail locomotives, mining equipment, and other electric vehicles. Mr. Aker’s professional experience began at Teledyne Avionics where he designed avionics that are currently installed on F-14, F-15, and F-16 fighter jets. Subsequently, he held leadership positions at Sperry Marine, National Optronics, and IIHS Vehicle Research Center, where he developed advanced control and drive technologies for marine, commercial, and testing applications.
Mr. Aker earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute where he concentrated in power electronics and digital control systems. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
Bret E. Aker – Chief Executive Officer & President Aker Wade Europe
Aker Wade founding principal Bret Aker has spent a career working in Asia and Silicon Valley developing new markets for semiconductor process equipment technologies. Holding sales and product marketing positions at Hitachi Chemical Corporation and Matheson/Nippon Sanso, Mr. Aker successfully launched several new product lines into Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States. Prior to founding Aker Wade, Mr. Aker was negotiating manufacturing and sales licenses for Advanced Technology Materials Inc. as Japan Business Development Manager.
Mr. Aker holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the International University of Japan, where he participated in the International Management Program of Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business Administration.
James R. Wade - Director of Core Technology
Jim Wade, principal and founding partner, brings 17 years of power electronics experience to Aker Wade. Today, Mr. Wade focuses on firmware and hardware design, with emphasis on DSP microprocessors and associated analog and digital electronic circuit design, computer-based multiple-layer design of microprocessor and power PCBs, and design of embedded wireless communication interfaces. His background includes positions at ITT Avionics Division, Sperry Marine, Cableform, A-Systems, Inc and a tour of duty with the United State Marine Corps.
Mr. Wade earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Old Dominion University where he concentrated in power electronics.
John J. McGrath – Director of Finance
John McGrath came to Aker Wade with more than 17 years experience in financial management during which he served as corporate controller and general accounting manager at multinational manufacturing organizations with sales between $80 million and $300 million. In his five years at Aker Wade, Mr. McGrath has played an integral role in the development of the company Financial and Human Resources departments. Additionally, Mr. McGrath has managed the implementation and upgrade of Aker Wade’s business software system.
Mr. McGrath graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.
David Boden, PhD. - Battery Technologies Advisor
David Boden needs no introduction to the battery industry. For the past 40 years he has held senior technical positions at such industry leaders as ESB, Chloride, C&D and Douglas Battery. He has authored over 50 scientific papers and chaired several Battery Council International (BCI) technical subcommittees. At Aker Wade, David has been instrumental in developing advanced charging algorithms employed in all of our chargers. His in depth knowledge of the various new battery chemistries vying for preeminence in this electric century make him a critical part of the Aker Wade team. His vision is to help Aker Wade apply fast charging to all battery chemistries to extend the viability of these technologies.
Dr. Boden earned a BS in Chemistry from the University of Salford (England) and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Polytechnic University of New York.
Bob Mosolgo - Director of Software Engineering
Bob Mosolgo has over 28 years experience developing factory automation software for companies like GE Fanuc Automation and Hewlett Packard. At GE Fanuc, as engineering team leader he developed and introduced Cimplicity™ Operator Interface, a personal computer based graphical interface for factory automation applications. Bob has also started and grown his own automation software company, managing a team of over 50 developers. The success of this endeavor was recognized with the sale of the company to GE Fanuc. At Aker Wade, Bob is the chief architect of the software development effort. His vision has impacted our charger control and software design efforts, with the goal of creating complete visibility and control of our systems.
Mr. Mosolgo earned his BS in Computer Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
Dagfinn Sivertsen - Director of Business Development, Europe
Dagfinn Sivertsen came to Aker Wade with over 25 years experience in the industrial battery industry. As VP of Sales and Marketing for both BFS and Flow-Rite Controls, Dagfinn has successfully launched product lines across North America, Europe and Asia. Speaking over nine languages, Dagfinn is adept at working with partners across the European Union to successfully implement Aker Wade's products and services.
Dagfinn lives in Berlin, Germany where he oversees the growth of Aker Wade's industrial and EV product lines.
