After serving for years as an independent director on the board, Zinovia “Zina” Spezakis is rolling up her sleeves and joining the Ecolectro team full-time as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

“Zina’s contributions to the team over the years have generated enormous value to the company,” said Ecolectro’s CEO, Gabriel Rodriguez-Calero. “She has a track record of leading high-growth businesses, she understands how to operate efficiently at scale, and I am beyond thrilled to partner with her as we launch into the next phase of commercialization”.

Zina has been an integral part of the Ecolectro story since its inception in 2016, providing strategic direction from her seat on the board. “Ecolectro captured my interest from the outset,” Zina remarked. “Gabriel’s profound insight into the hydrogen industry and his drive to pioneer a groundbreaking electrolyzer enterprise is set to redefine the sector. Kristina (the Co-founder and CTO of Ecolectro) brings a dynamic presence to product and technical development. Her talent for innovation and her capability for rallying a team around a shared vision is nothing short of motivational. The synergy between Gabriel and Kristina creates a formidable team, one that I am excited to fully join as the CFO.”

Previously Zina was the Chief Operating Officer of Allianz Global Investors Managed Accounts where she spent over six years overseeing $34B in assets. During her tenure she supported a growth of 7.5x in assets, while implementing operational and risk management frameworks.  Prior to that, her experience spanned PIMCO Funds, Morgan Stanley, as well as private asset manager R. Meredith & Company. Zina holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, both an MBA in finance and a Masters in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and a Masters in Energy Policy and Climate Science from John Hopkins University. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

About Ecolectro

Ecolectro is an Ithaca, New York-based green hydrogen startup. Since being founded in 2015, the company has been working toward building industry leading alkaline exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzers. This approach to hydrogen production aims to disrupt the ~12% of the world’s CO2 emissions from the standard hydrogen production process of steam-methane reforming (SMR). Ecolectro is developing a system that not only eliminates emissions but also avoids precious metals and forever chemicals (PFA/PFOA). Following the success of the pilot project with a utility, Ecolectro is actively targeting sectors critical for decarbonization with their advanced green hydrogen technology, aiming to reduce emissions in areas like power generation, transportation, and industrials.