The Search Begins!
We’ve launched a national search, in partnership with a global executive search firm, seeking Activate’s next CEO for a new era of impact.
This week we announced the launch of our search for Activate’s new leader and CEO in partnership with Diversified Search Group, the largest woman-founded and woman-led executive search firm in the world. With input from our team and Activate community, we developed a position profile that sketches out the characteristics sought in our next leader. Ultimately, Activate’s next CEO will be excited to lead the effort of creating powerful, positive impact and outcomes through a “people-first” organization with a “fellows-first” mission.
Over the past seven years, we have grown into one of the strongest science innovation communities, empowering scientists to reinvent the world by launching startups to address climate change and other global challenges. To date, we have supported over 140 entrepreneurial fellows and catalyzed more than 100 science-based startups that have collectively raised more than $1 billion and created over 1,100 jobs. Most importantly, Activate Fellows have emerged as global leaders accelerating climate-tech solutions in areas ranging from energy storage to carbon capture, advanced geothermal, and beyond.
Interim CEO Todd Johnson
On July 22, we announced that Ilan Gur, our founding CEO, had accepted a position as the founding chief executive officer of the newly established UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). At that time, Activate’s board announced that its executive committee, chaired by long-time board member, R. Todd Johnson, would conduct a national search and that Johnson would step into the role of interim CEO until the selection of our next leader.
To ensure a diverse set of input, the executive committee assembled a search committee chaired by Johnson and comprised of the following Activate champions:
Morrow (“Morry”) Cater, Activate board member and strategic communications expert and entrepreneur
Arun Majumdar, former Activate board member, former head of ARPA-E, and now the dean of Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability
Etosha Cave, Cohort 2015 Activate Fellow and co-founder and chief science officer of Twelve
Craig Peters, serial entrepreneur in deep tech who was co-founder and CEO of Plant-PV, which was acquired by Hitachi Chemical, and most recently CEO of Raxium, which was acquired by Google
Liesl Schindler, chair of the Activate board, vice president of technology development at Trillium, and a former executive at Shell
“Activate is a critically important organization for the science innovation ecosystem,” said Johnson. “We are honored to have this incredible responsibility to choose a leader who will shepherd the organization during its next era of impact.”
“The urgency and gravity of the world’s most pressing problems demand that Activate seize this opportunity to expand the reach and impact of science innovation,” said Majumdar. “As Activate’s motto says, ‘the world needs scientists now more than ever.’ Activate is critical to the future of this planet.”
Help us find Activate’s next CEO! Share the position profile with your network using our social media toolkit. Interested candidates can submit their resumé and cover letter via email at ActivateCEO@divsearch.com. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.