Profiles
Hydrogen Optimized announces new President and CEO

Green Hydrogen industry leader Denis Krude has been appointed President & CEO of Hydrogen Optimized, effective April 8, 2024 (CNW Group/Hydrogen Optimized Inc.)

OWEN SOUND — On Feb. 21, Hydrogen Optimized Inc., a subsidiary of Key DH Technologies Inc. (KEY), announced that Denis Krude, former CEO of green hydrogen technology company thyssenkrupp nucera, will be appointed President and CEO starting April 8, 2024. Company Co-Founder Andrew Stuart will continue to play an active leadership role at Hydrogen Optimized as Executive Chair.

“I am delighted that Denis has chosen to join the Hydrogen Optimized team as CEO as we enter an exciting new phase of our company’s commercial development,” said Andrew Stuart, founding President and CEO of Hydrogen Optimized. “With proven executive experience in the sale and deployment of green hydrogen production plants, Denis is uniquely well-positioned to lead our company in the emerging large-scale clean hydrogen technology market. In my upcoming role as Executive Chairman, I look forward to supporting Denis and continuing to support the Hydrogen Optimized team along with our customers, investors and other stakeholders.”

Mr. Krude joined the thyssenkrupp Group in 1998. At thyssenkrupp Uhde, a chemical plant manufacturer, he held a series of progressively senior management positions. From 2016 to 2023, he served as CEO and a Member of the Executive Board at thyssenkrupp nucera, a leading technology and plant engineering company specializing in water electrolysis and green hydrogen. Among his accomplishments there, in 2021-2022 Mr. Krude and his team prepared the company for an IPO, leading investor meetings and other activities that set the stage for its successful 2023 public listing.

“The unique focus of Hydrogen Optimized on large-scale water electrolysis solutions for major, hard-to-abate industries aligns with my view that this market segment offers the most significant opportunity in clean hydrogen,” Denis Krude said. “With a strong foundation built on the Stuart family’s 120-year legacy in high-power water electrolysis, I see enormous opportunity for Hydrogen Optimized to become a world leader in clean hydrogen.”

Mr. Krude added, “I am impressed by the culture of the Hydrogen Optimized team and the tremendous progress they have made in advancing the company’s RuggedCell water electrolysis technology, manufacturing capabilities and market presence. I look forward to working closely with Andrew and the Owen Sound team to realize the company’s tremendous potential.”

The company says that Mr. Krude is known for his international plant engineering and EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) projects, and say he has led multicultural and cross-functional teams across various locations worldwide. His background spans the entire plant engineering value chain, encompassing business development, sales, product management, project execution and after-sales service.