REINVENTING FLUORINATION

Gabriele Pupo

CEO & Founder

Gabriele has a background in catalysis, organic and fluorination chemistry following his MChem from the University of Torino, PhD from the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (with Nobel laureate Benjamin List) and extensive postdoctoral work at the University of Oxford with Veronique Gouverneur.

With more than a decade of experience in R&D, he focused since 2017 on developing novel, safe and cost-effective fluorinating technologies while also building strong relationships with numerous chemical industries. A deep advocate for the sustainable future of chemistry, in 2022, he co-founded FluoRok and he is its Chief Executive Officer.

Andrew Schwarz

VP Business Development

Andrew holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Oxford.  He worked for more than ten years at Infineum, a speciality chemical company where he developed and commercialised new chemical additives for Infineum’s multi-billion dollar lubricant business. He was also part of efforts to diversify the business, ultimately leading the product and commercial development of new businesses in the Li-Ion battery, electrochemical, smart materials and paints industries.

Andrew joined FluoRok’s leadership team in 2023 to lead commercial operations and go-to-market strategy.

Joanna Dunne

CFO

Joanna is an experienced finance professional, who qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1996. Over the last 15 years she has focused on VC backed technology companies as CFO or Finance Director for companies including Salience Labs, Bodle Technologies, Cambridge Touch Technologies and ACAL Energy. Earlier in her career she worked for larger companies notably Ernst and Young and Pilkington Plc.

Kevin Matthews

Chair

Kevin is a highly experienced executive and non-executive, currently CEO of global chemical manufacturer Scott Bader. With over two decades of experience in this sector, he was a board member at Elementis plc for nine years during its transformation into a leading speciality chemical company and earlier worked for multinational chemical companies including Rhodia SA, Albright & Wilson plc and ICI plc. He earned a D. Phil in chemistry from the University of Oxford, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) and the UK’s Chemical Industry Association (CIA) Council. He was appointed as FluoRok’s non-executive chair in March 2024.

Gabriele Pupo

CEO & Founder

Gabriele has a background in catalysis, organic and fluorination chemistry following his MChem from the University of Torino, PhD from the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (with Nobel laureate Benjamin List) and extensive postdoctoral work at the University of Oxford with Veronique Gouverneur.

With more than a decade of experience in R&D, he focused since 2017 on developing novel, safe and cost-effective fluorinating technologies while also building strong relationships with numerous chemical industries. A deep advocate for the sustainable future of chemistry, in 2022, he co-founded FluoRok and he is its Chief Executive Officer.

Véronique Gouverneur

Founder & Director

Véronique is Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Oxford, a fellow of the Royal Society, and one of the most renowned world experts in fluorination chemistry.

Her research has been disseminated in more than two hundred peer-reviewed publications and recognized with prestigious international awards in the field including the Moissan Prize in 2021, the Arthur C. Cope Award in 2022 and the Davy Medal in 2024.

She collaborated globally with pharmaceutical companies and in 2022, co-founded FluoRok and currently serves as advisor and non-executive director.

Steve Dobson

Non-Executive Director

Steve is a Chartered Scientist and a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers with a 40 year career in the chemical industry.  For ten years Steve was Head of the Electronic Chemicals division of Solvay SA, a business which grew more than tenfold under his leadership, with operating plants all over the world.  He played a key role in commercializing new technologies and materials for the semiconductor, display, battery and PV industries, including working with a number of start-up and spin out companies.

Steve holds various degrees and post graduate diplomas. He presently serves as a Non Executive Director in Nexeon and at Tullis Russell Group, a member of the I.Chem.E Governance Board, a Mentor & Emerging Technologies Judge with the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Governor and Council member at the University of Chester.

George Todd

Investor Director

George is an investor with Oxford Science Enterprises, investing in deep tech physical science businesses. George has previously worked in strategy consulting and new product development for high growth SMEs and holds an MEng in Engineering Science from Oxford University.

Kate Ronayne

Investor Director

Kate is an Investor at BGF in the Early Stage team focussing on Climatetech and Deeptech. Before joining BGF, she spent 5 years as an Investor Director at Longwall Ventures, working with a portfolio of startups across physical sciences and engineering. Prior to that, she spent 16 years at the Science and Technology Facilities Council, across a variety of scientific and commercial roles. She has a PhD in Chemistry from the Queen’s University of Belfast.