Robert Yu Lang Mao will become the new chairman of Energy Recovery Inc’s board of directors, effective from the company’s 2019 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting in June 2019.
Mao has served as a director of Energy Recovery since 2010 and will succeed Hans Peter Michelet, who first joined the company’s board in 1995 and has served as chairman since 2004. Michelet will retire from the board at the end of the current term.
“It’s been a privilege to guide Energy Recovery’s journey from installing our first PX Pressure Exchanger in 1997 to our position today as the leading energy recovery solutions provider for seawater reverse osmosis desalination,” said Michelet. “Bob is the ideal steward for the next phase of the company’s growth based on his global business acumen and deep knowledge of China, his strong strategic and analytical skills, as well as his prior board and executive experience helping industrial companies expand into new product and geographical markets. I am immensely optimistic about the company’s future.”
Mao has more than 30 years of executive experience in the technology and telecommunications industries across Asia, the US and Europe. In 2013, he was named chairman, China Region for Hewlett-Packard Co. He retired from Hewlett-Packard in 2016. Mao also served as CEO of Nasdaq-listed 3Com Corp from 2008 to 2010 and completed the sale of 3Com to Hewlett-Packard in 2010.
“Having spent many years driving industrial companies to scale and into new global markets, I believe Energy Recovery’s prospects are excellent,” said Mao. “I am delighted to assume the position of chairman of the board and am committed to continuing HP’s focus on laying the foundation for long-term growth. His legacy and impact on this organization cannot be understated, and he will always be a part of the Energy Recovery family.”
Mao holds a Bachelor of Materials Science degree, a Master of Metallurgical Engineering degree from Cornell University, and an MBA degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
