9 March 2015

Ascent Solar re-hires former senior VP of sales & marketing as chief operating officer

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA, which makes lightweight, flexible copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic modules integrated into off-grid applications and its EnerPlex series of consumer products, has appointed Rafael Gutierrez as senior VP & chief operating officer.

Gutierrez was formerly Ascent's senior VP of sales & marketing from 2009 to 2011. Prior to that, during 18 years with Seagate Technologies (from 1991 to 2009), he held executive positions including general manager of Consumer Electronics, executive director of Strategic Marketing, and director of Advanced Concepts and Product Development.

After Gutierrez left Ascent Solar in 2011, he held positions with Ampt LLC as a senior VP of sales & marketing, and subsequently with Micron Technologies as enterprise business development lead before returning to Seagate in 2013 as strategic business development lead for its SSD division.

"He is an industry veteran and is perfectly suited to lead the continued rapid expansion of our entire sales operation globally," comments Ascent Solar's CEO Victor Lee. "He brings a wealth of large corporate C-level experience in the technology and consumer electronics sectors, and his depth of knowledge in both international and domestic sales, as well as his comprehensive understanding of the marketing and product development cycles of consumer-oriented businesses and PV applications, are invaluable assets as we continue to accelerate our growth," he adds. 

"The market opportunities for flexible PV power solutions in emerging markets such as Internet of Things (IoT), consumer wearables and drone applications create a unique and promising near-term opportunity for Ascent Solar and EnerPlex solutions," says Gutierrez.  

Tags: Ascent Solar EnerPlex CIGS

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