NREL hires Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Manager

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) welcomed Richard Adams as Manager of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) within Commercialization and Technology Transfer Directorate of the laboratory Feburary 24.

As Manager of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, Adams will oversee the team accountable for the Engineered Innovation Initiative, the Industry Growth Forum, the Venture Capital Advisory Board, Investor Networking Initiatives, Regional and National Incubator Programs, and the NREL Commercialization Assistance Program.  He will also coordinate IEC's work with the  Mentor-Protégé program, the Small Business Subcontracting program, and the development of the Center for Renewable Energy and Economic Development (CREED).

Adams, a former strategic and operations management consultant, has worked extensively with start-ups and early stage growth companies, many of those in the renewable energy sector. Prior to forming his own consulting firm, he held various executive positions with Novations Group, a leading training and organizational development company.  Adams also founded and managed numerous start ups including an investment bank and has held a variety of senior positions in financial services institutions, including Rothschild and Westpac Banking Corporation.

Adams is a graduate of the University of New England (Australia), with a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics, and holds a Graduate Diploma of Business from the Phillip Institute of Technology (Australia).