Executive Team

Mr. Mao served as chief executive officer of 3Com Corporation from 2008 – 2010 and was on that company’s board of directors from 2007 to 2010. Prior to 3Com Corporation, Mr. Mao worked for Nortel Networks as CEO of the company’s Greater China operations from 1997 to 2006. Before joining Nortel, Mr. Mao was regional president of the Greater China region for Alcatel-Lucent from 1995-1997. Mr. Mao also held executive positions at Alcatel and ITT in Asia and the United States.

Mr. Mao has served on the board of directors of companies listed on the NASDAQ, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and the Taiwan Stock Exchange. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Taiwan-based Yulon-Nissan Motor Company. He also serves as chairman of the board of directors of Ubee Interactive Corporation, a supplier of broadband access equipment and devises to multimedia and telecom service providers worldwide, and Pyroswift Holdings, Ltd., a supplier of high intensity LED lighting module and equipment. Both Ubee and Pyroswift are private companies.

Mr. Mao is a graduate of Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and a master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He also holds a master’s degree in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Previously, Mr. Ballard held the position of Operating Partner at Orox Capital Management. During his time there he was responsible for the management of and collaboration with portfolio company teams to implement long-term strategic plans and improve finance and operations.  Previous to joining Orox Capital Management, Mr. Ballard was the Managing Director of Lanterne Advisors, LLC, where he held multiple CFO roles with venture-backed companies.  He also served as Executive Director of Finance and Investor Relations for SigmaBleyzer Investment Group.

Mr. Ballard is a Certified Financial Analyst and Chartered Management Accountant, holds a Global MBA in Finance from Arizona State University Thunderbird School of Global Business, and a BA in Russian Studies from the University of Iowa.

Previously, he served as Energy Recovery’s Managing Director of Engineering. Previous to joining Energy Recovery, he served a 12-year term at General Electric Company, starting at the General Electric Global Research Center, where he led the development of abradable seals for steam and gas turbines. Dr. Ghasripoor also developed a solid particle erosion protection system for steam path airfoils, which is currently implemented in GE steam turbines to substantially extend the life of turbine blades. Prior to joining General Electric, he spent 9.5 years at Sulzer’s R&D division in Switzerland as a Mechanical Engineer leading projects to improve performance of large marine engines, compressors & pumps. He is the named inventor on 64 US patent applications, of which 31 have been granted to date, and has authored articles for 20 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Ghasripoor earned his PhD, MS and BS in Mechanical Engineering from Brunel University of West London in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Yeung’s 20 years of experience encompass securities laws, corporate governance and compliance, corporate strategy, SEC reporting and regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and general contracts. His clients have included Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, Citigroup Global Markets, Lehman Brothers, UBS, Salomon Smith Barney, BNP Paribas, Del Monte, Sony Capital Corporation, McDonald’s Corporation, KBC Bank, The Interpublic Group of Companies, The Bank of New York, United Technologies Corporation, and Nortel Networks. He began practicing law at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York and practiced at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco.

Mr. Yeung earned a JD from New York University School of Law and a BA in Asian Studies from Boston College.

Mr. Clemente has extensive international experience with expertise spanning several verticals, including operations, business development, sales and marketing, and he continues to provide a high level of system design, technical consultation, and commercial support for customers worldwide. He is an active member of many of the leading industry organizations, such as the International Desalination Association and the American Membrane Technology Association.

Mr. Clemente earned an Executive MBA at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a BS in Industrial Engineering from California State University, East Bay.

During Ms. Smith’s tenure as Vice President of Corporate Development, she led the formation of the Company’s long-term strategic plan and product development road map and played a critical role in the successful scale-up of Energy Recovery’s cutting-edge R&D and manufacturing operations. Ms. Smith has held several positions at the company spanning multiple disciplines, including Vice President of Marketing, Senior Director of Corporate Development, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, and the Strategic Analyst to the CEO. Prior to joining Energy Recovery, she held various roles at Aegion Corporation, most notably as Controller, and was a top-performing analyst in Merrill Lynch’s Industrials Investment Banking group.

Ms. Smith earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and a BS in Communication Studies from Northwestern University.

Previously, Mr. Bensalah held senior positions with ABB Inc. and Aegion Corporation, where he gained global experience in the power equipment manufacturing, automotive parts production, infrastructure rehabilitation, and oil and gas industries. He brings 20 years of experience in a variety of technical and operational leadership roles, including quality assurance, application engineering, new product development, project management, mergers & acquisitions, and field service & manufacturing operations.

Mr. Bensalah earned an Executive MBA from Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School, an MS in Engineering Management from Western Michigan University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Temple University.

Ms. Proctor has gained over 20 years of key executive experiences from organizations across the San Francisco Bay Area such as Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), Mizuho OSI and Associated Third Party Administrators (ATPA). As Interim Head of Human Resources at PARC, a Xerox owned innovation company, Ms. Proctor lead the transformation of their human resources processes to align with PARC’s vision while also aligning with their parent company’s core values. During her time as Head of Human Resources at Mizhou OSI, she led strategic initiatives to optimize the new hire process, implement career planning and leadership readiness programs and establish a wellness program available to employees across the organization.

Ms. Proctor is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), has her Professional in Human Resources, California Certification (PHR-CA) and holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Previously, Mr. Martin held the positions of Chief Engineer and Senior Director of Engineering at Energy Recovery. He was essential in the development of the current line of PX devices, and he has also spearheaded the development of the IsoGen™ Turbogenerator and IsoBoost™ Turbocharger systems for Oil and Gas applications. Mr. Martin also held positions with Molex Inc., Paragon Products, and TRC Companies, Inc.

Mr. Martin earned his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University.

Previous to his current position, which he assumed in 2019, Mr. Young had served as the Assistant Controller at Energy Recovery since 2012. Before coming on board at Energy Recovery, Mr. Young served as the Compensation and Benefits Accounting Manager of pharmaceutical distributor McKesson Corporation, which ranks in the top 10 of the Fortune 500, and as an audit manager for Ernst & Young.

Mr. Young earned a BA in economics from University of California, Los Angeles and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant by the State of California.