For most of the last decade Guy Haydon has dedicated himself to clean energy infrastructure – even in his spare time.
When not driving start-ups and building demand for his day jobs, Guy also works with a non-profit organisation in the heart of Birmingham – a one-stop-shop to tackle social inequality and environmental impact.
He explains: “Community Energy Birmingham started by raising community investment to install solar panels on local buildings, but have since grown to support home energy retrofit — delivering workshops, in-home advice, and guidance on insulation, heating upgrades, and funding access.
“It’s an incredibly powerful project that underlines the importance of community engagement and collaboration. I’m immensely proud to be part of it.”
Raised in the Black Country, Guy’s time abroad studying International Relations and Central European Politics in the Czech Republic had a far bigger impact on him than he was expecting.
“I started teaching English as a foreign language and then decided to set up a language school after I finished my studies,” he explained.
“After selling this business, I had my first role in clean tech, developing international markets for Kuberg, a Czech electric motorcycle manufacturer. But electrification in the country is a few years behind the UK, so when I really got the EV bug I decided to move back.”
Stints at InstaVolt and then Siemens – where, as Head of Sales for Electromobility, he helped implement Transport for London’s electric taxi network – fuelled his passion for the sector before taking the role of UK Managing Director at Norwegian charging firm Zaptec, growing it from “one man with a laptop” to a 16-strong operation.
He then took over as Chief Commercial Officer at Aerovolt, a company that is building the world’s first public smart-charging network for electric aircraft.
“Working for a firm that was right at the forefront of the energy transition was exhilarating, and during my time there we deployed charging stations across multiple UK airports and built an international pipeline of over 250 sites. I’m really proud of the milestones we achieved and I remain a strategic advisor to the business as it continues to scale.”
Guy believes his experience in the embryonic EV market will help as he transitions over to hydrogen.
“I was getting into charging when the Nissan Leaf had just been launched, and people back then were very sceptical about charging infrastructure and even whether electric cars were going to become commonplace. And look where we are now!”
“I see the hydrogen market in a similar way. Hydrogen has been used for decades in all sorts of industrial applications but now, with HyKit, we’re showing that it’s as usable and deployable as diesel…and far better for the environment too”.
“What we’re essentially offering is confidence in cutting edge clean technology, and as long as we put the customer first – reducing barriers, offering uptime and reliability – then hydrogen will soon form an integral part of the energy mix.”
Guy is keen to tap into his impressive network as he starts to spread the word about HyKit and the wider HydraB portfolio.“I have been to hundreds of events over the years and worked alongside some hugely talented people, so I’m looking forward to bringing everyone together as we focus on the decarbonisation challenge.”
“What struck me about this job was the sheer can-do approach of everyone I’ve met. It’s infectious and I’m excited to see what we can achieve in the coming years.”
