Leadership
Board of Directors
Gordon Deans
Gordon co-founded the Company and has a long history in building high-growth technology companies. At Omron Adept Technology, a leader in advanced industrial robotics, he served as an executive officer on the team that led Adept’s turnaround to growth and profitability. At Norsat International, a supplier of satellite ground station equipment and systems, he led business development, sales and marketing for the commercial technology products, advancing the company’s market position from a supplier of components to providing complete systems. Prior to Norsat, Gordon spent 17 years with Nortel Networks and Bell-Northern Research in increasingly responsible positions in R&D, product marketing and business development. Gordon holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Engineering degrees in Electrical Engineering and is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
Kevin Dodds
Kevin is a Chartered Professional Accountant who brings 25 years of experience in finance and operations within multifaceted international businesses across diverse industries. Mr. Dodds is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Noram Engineering and Constructors, Ltd. and is a director and officer of its operating subsidiaries. He previously held financing positions with Export Development Canada and MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates.
David Toyoda
David practices law in the corporate and securities area, focusing on companies listed on Canadian stock exchanges. He also teaches corporate governance and public financing at Simon Fraser University and the TSX Venture Exchange. He is the Past Chair of the Securities Law Subsection of the Canadian Bar Association (B.C. Branch) and was a member of the Securities Law Advisory Committee for the B.C. Securities Commission. David holds Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of British Columbia.
Roger Buckeridge
Dr Buckeridge has been a leading unlisted equity funds manager in the Asia Pacific region for 37 years and has been a Responsible Manager under various Australian Financial Services Licences since 2004. One of these fund managers invested AU$280 million of institutional venture capital funds in some 60 early-stage technology-based businesses, between 1997 and 2013. During his career as an investment fund manager, Roger has served on listed company boards (ASX and TSX) and provided extensive consulting services to enterprises and government. Earlier, he served 6 years as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, in the US, Asia and Australia. He holds a PhD degree in Chemistry
Management Team
Kevin Dodds
President & Chief Executive Officer
Kevin is a Chartered Professional Accountant who brings 25 years of experience in finance and operations within multifaceted international businesses across diverse industries. Mr. Dodds is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Noram Engineering and Constructors, Ltd. and is a director and officer of its operating subsidiaries. He previously held financing positions with Export Development Canada and MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates.
Tricia Pederson
Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Tricia Pederson is a Chartered Professional Accountant who brings over 18 years of public and private company financial experience, having held several senior financial positions over a wide range of industries, with a focus on financial reporting, risk management, compliance, and corporate governance. Ms. Pederson held the role of Senior Director, Finance and Operations for a U.S. domiciled beverage manufacturing and wholesale company, Manager, Operational Accounting with Amica Mature Lifestyles, a TSX listed company which was acquired by BayBridge Seniors Housing, and Financial Officer for Grieg Star Shipping and Squamish Terminals a privately owned subsidiary of a break-bulk owned vessel company and owner of a shipping terminal. Additionally, during her career, Ms. Pederson was an independent financial consultant assisting several public TSXV listed companies predominately within the junior mining industry.
Wei Deng
General Manager, Asia Pacific
Wei Deng is the head of Aurora’s Asia Pacific Operations. He has 30 years of global management experience in high-tech industries such as information technology, commercial satellite communications and solar product manufacturing. Prior to Aurora, Mr. Deng was the Vice President at China Skyline (Hong Kong) Ltd., a Hong Kong based company specializing in e-commerce, and before that he served several senior management positions at Microsoft China, Librestream Technologies, a company specializing in portable teleconferencing and virtual collaboration systems, and Norsat International, a global satellite ground station technology company. At these companies he was responsible for marketing, sales and strategic planning, and investment.
Mr. Deng holds his Bachelor of Physics and Master of Applied Sciences from USTC, an MPA from Carleton University and an MBA from the University of Ottawa.
Johnson Wong
Director - Technology
Johnson received his PhD in Photovoltaic Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia in 2010, and has since been an active industry contributor in the field of solar cell characterization and analysis. Prior to Aurora, he was a research fellow and then the head of PV Characterization at the globally respected Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, working on a variety of industry-driven projects including the commercialization of a screen printed IBC solar cell design. He also founded Griddler Solar, which developed and sells simulation, analysis and CAD tools for solar cells and modules, used widely by both the photovoltaic industry and the research community, with customers across the globe that include SpaceX, Sunpower, LONGi, Jinko, Runergy, and Tongwei. Johnson is passionate about all things solar and is excited to be front and centre in realizing smart manufacturing systems and products for the PV industry in his role at Aurora.