Our team

We are an experienced cross-functional team motivated to get the job done

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Why we’re here

Our mission is to fight climate change by harnessing science, technology, and human ingenuity to decarbonize the atmosphere.

Executive team

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Adrian Corless

Chief Executive Officer

Adrian has spent over 25 years developing and commercializing products in the cleantech industry. From 2013 to 2018, he was the CEO of Carbon Engineering, where he successfully developed the company into a recognized global leader in CO₂ direct air capture, piloting industrial scale systems in under two years. In addition, Adrian has spent 15+ years commercializing industrial hydrogen, fuel cell, and pump technologies, serving as CEO of Rotoliptic Technologies, CTO of Plug Power, and CTO of Cellex Power Products. He holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Victoria, BC Canada with specialization in Energy Systems, Cryogenics, and LNG.

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Saeb Besarati

Chief Technology Officer

Saeb has more than 15 years of experience developing and scaling climate technologies, with deep expertise in DAC and renewable energy systems. Joining the founding team of CarbonCapture Inc. in 2019, he led the rapid advancement of DAC technology from lab to field, including the launch of the company’s first commercial-scale unit in 2024. He led the development of CarbonCapture’s testing infrastructure, working with a multidisciplinary team to establish standardized protocols and capabilities from milligrams to ton scale. Previously, Saeb conducted research and development on solar and green power technologies and authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and an MS in Thermal Mechanical Engineering, and is certified in model-based systems engineering and project management.

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Richard Weil

Chief Financial Officer

Richard is an experienced finance and operating professional, having served as CFO or in a similar capacity for start-up companies operating in industries as diverse as near field communications hardware and software, video game commerce, paid search advertising, and electricity transmission. He also co-founded Mount Wilson Ventures, a venture fund that invests in early-stage hard science companies. Richard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University and is a CFA charterholder.

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Aidin Sadr

Chief Commercial Officer

Aidin brings nearly 14 years of energy experience in both finance and engineering roles. Most recently, Aidin was an investment banker with a prominent North American bank, where he successfully executed ~$15 bn of M&A and capital markets transactions across both traditional energy and energy transition sectors. His finance skillset is complimented by his experience as an engineer executing large scale energy projects for a large Canadian E&P. He received his Bachelor of Science in Oil & Gas Engineering from the University of Calgary and is registered as a professional engineer in Alberta.

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Meghan Kenny

Chief of Staff

Meghan has a background in chemical engineering and consulting. With Johnson Matthey, she worked across several different facilities and helped JM stand up their refining operations in China. Before CarbonCapture, she was a manager with Bain & Company, focusing on projects in energy and heavy industry. Meghan has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Robert Whyte

Vice President, Projects

Robert is a professional engineer with 25 years of progressive technical and leadership experience in the energy industry, having served in senior roles managing and delivering large scale projects in North America, the Middle East and Europe. He has expertise in full life cycle asset planning and economics and has developed a risk-based process for project management. Robert has successfully led large and diverse operations and maintenance organizations. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria.

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Artena Stepanian

Director, People

Artena leads HR initiatives focused on organizational development, employee relations, performance management, and talent acquisition. With a strong background in cross-functional engineering and R&D environments, she is a strategic partner to the executive team, connecting organizational strategy with a dynamic employee experience. Before CarbonCapture, she spent approximately nine years at Applied Minds, managing HR for a multidisciplinary team in the federal defense and energy sectors. Artena holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology & Global Studies from UC Santa Barbara.

“We’re dedicated to addressing climate change head on by decarbonizing the atmosphere as quickly as possible.”

Adrian Corless
CEO

Our origin story

Incubated at IdeaLab

Bill is Co-founder and Chairman of CarbonCapture. He’s also Founder and Chairman of Idealab Studio, a leading technology incubator. Over the last 23 years, Idealab has created and operated more than 150 companies and had more than 45 successful IPOs and acquisitions in the areas of renewable energy, software, online advertising, Internet services, robotics, social media, and transportation. Prior to CarbonCapture, he founded a number of energy storage and solar companies, including Energy Vault, Energy Cache, eSolar, Duron Solar, Raytracker, Thermata, and others. Bill received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University.

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Our values

Our values

We’re mission-driven, but guided by five principles.

The mission

We’re here to preserve the environment for future generations by leveraging science, technology, and human innovation to decarbonize the atmosphere. That shared mission is both a privilege and a responsibility that brings us together, shows us where we’re going, inspires our work, guides our decision making, and steadies us when the going gets rough.

Better together

We come together to fight climate change as a unified, extraordinary team. Because the effectiveness of the team is a priority, we believe in fostering a culture of togetherness by trusting in the good intent of our coworkers, going above and beyond to help each other out, and celebrating our wins. Further, we seek to maximize the opportunities for the kinds of shared experiences that lead to lasting personal bonds, with a focus on face-to-face interactions.

Caring for each other

The well-being of each one of our team members is deeply important to us. As a core foundation, we provide a psychologically, physically, and intellectually safe workspace. Further, we believe in supporting the professional and personal growth of our associates by providing ongoing training, career development opportunities, leadership coaching, and the flexibility needed for each team member to optimize their work/life balance.

Open and honest

Because we respect and trust each other, we’re direct in our interpersonal communications. This means being honest with each other, whether it’s freely expressing our appreciation for a job well done or providing constructive feedback. It also means fostering the transparent flow of information across all levels and functions whenever possible.

Exploration

While our destination is clear, the exact path is not. Our mission calls for explorers: those who are insatiably curious, thirsty for knowledge, open to new ideas, and willing to challenge the status quo. Further, we believe in fostering the explorer’s spirit in each other by sharing what we know, viewing mistakes as opportunities for growth, accepting different perspectives, and encouraging our colleagues as we fearlessly venture across uncertain territory.

Careers

Join us on our mission to decarbonize
the atmosphere.

We’re looking for good people to join our highly motivated and incredibly talented team. If you’re interested, let us know!