Ausra expands management team

Mountain View, Calif.-based solar thermal developer Ausra said today it has brought on a new president and chief operating officer, Thomas Caulfield, from outside the company.

The company is combining the COO and president role in Caulfield’s new position, Ausra's Vice President of Communications Katherine Potter told the Cleantech Group. She added that the company has been attempting to fill the position for some time.

The company’s previous president Robert Fishman intends to retain his CEO and chairman titles. Caulfield will be reporting to Fishman, Potter said.

The change is to allow Fishman to focus more on the company’s strategic vision and growth and less on day-to-day operations, although Potter said he still plans to stay very involved with the company.

Caulfield has more than 15 years of executive leadership experience in semiconductor technology and equipment, including working as the executive vice president of sales for Novellus Systems. He has also held senior positions at IBM and Phillips Laboratory.

Caulfield was selected for his technology and original equipment manufacturer background, as Ausra transitions from being a power plant developer to a global solar steam systems provider.

Fishman said in a news release that Caulfield “brings to Ausra the technology, product development and manufacturing expertise to diversify our capabilities and to complete our evolution from a power plant developer to a concentrated solar steam systems provider.”

The company secured $25.5 million in April from existing investors for its new business focus (see Ausra scores $25.5M for new equipment sales focus).

Ausra launched as a project developer, but said in January it would focus on selling equipment for solar thermal energy plants to generate immediate revenue. In conjunction with that news, the company laid off 10 percent of its staff (see Ausra shaves staff as it chases immediate revenue).

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