Our History
Founded in 2021, Avance is committed to creating a properly functioning hydrogen market, enabling the use of hydrogen by countries and companies in their supply chains as well as by everyday consumers in their daily lives.
Avance is spearheaded by a group of enterprising industry professionals who are unequivocally committed to the creation of a more transparent, equitable and environmentally responsible energy paradigm, in which hydrogen is a key enabler.
Having occupied leadership positions in energy, environment, finance, and law, we are fully aware of the dysfunctionalities of the current paradigm and have developed commercially proven solutions to fix them.
Our history with hydrogen extends back to 2020, when Think20, an official Engagement Group to the G20, published our Vision Paper titled: “Roadmap for an Inclusive Customer-facing Hydrogen Ecosystem to Expedite the Energy Transition”. This was followed by our development in 2020 of a national hydrogen strategy and roadmap for a MENA country.
Our Vision
We envisage a world in which most of its population of 8.5 billion in 2030 can exercise some control over their energy decisions, with hydrogen being one of the options available at their disposal. To that end, Avance is dedicated to laying the foundations for this future.
As a first step, we will ensure that countries and companies across the globe can confidently participate in the hydrogen economy, decarbonizing supply chains, enhancing environmental sustainability, and bolstering energy security. We will also start engaging with energy citizens to prepare them for our vision of the future.
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Wael Almazeedi Chief Executive Director
- 20+ years in energy
- Proven track record in project development & finance, private equity, and multilateral development
- Development of hydrogen strategies and roadmaps, and membership of national hydrogen and energy transition committees
- Publication of peer-reviewed hydrogen papers, roadmaps and book chapters
- MPA (Harvard Kennedy School); B.Sc. Control Engineering & Applied Chemistry (University of Kent); Post-graduate Diploma, Petroleum Economics (CPES)
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ Award in the Energy Category for New England region (USA)
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Dr. Michael Tsang Chief Carbon & Sustainability Officer
- 12+ years in environmental sustainability
- Proven track record in lifecycle assessment (LCA), energy attribute certification, carbon credits, and product-level environmental declarations
- Previously ASPPH Fellow at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Contract-consultant at US Army Corps of Engineers' Environmental Research Division
- Publication of peer-reviewed GHG/LCA articles in leading international journals
- Ph.D. Environmental & Analytical Chemistry (University of Bordeaux with coordinated research at U.S. Santa Barbara, Ca’Foscari); MPH (UC Los Angeles), B.Sc. (UC San Diego)
- Founder and CEO of Three Pillars Consulting and ClimateTab™
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Nicholas Tse Chief Strategy Officer & General Counsel
- 20+ years in law
- Proven track record in project finance, risk management, and international arbitration & dispute settlement
- Dual qualified Barrister (England and Wales) & Avocat au Barreau de Paris with a proven track record as an advocate, negotiator, and business diplomat
- Tried cases before the WTO, the English Courts including the UK Supreme Court, and offshore in jurisdictions including Bermuda, the BVI, Cayman, Jersey, DIFC, and ADGM
- Conducted numerous international arbitrations under ICC, ICSID, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, LMAA, AAA Rules across a variety of seats worldwide
- Maîtrise de Lettres Modernes (Sorbonne); Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm); B.A Hons, (Oxford University)