Derek Gauger
Chief of Projects
Derek Gauger is the Chief of Projects of Humankind Biomass Systems. With experience in over 35 industries, Derek is a clean energy, FinTech, innovation and product development professional with deep experience in successful project finance, business turnarounds / restructurings, startups, innovation and C-Level leadership. Derek has co-founded three startups and developed over 28 patents in his long career.
Prior to Humankind Biomass Systems, Derek co-founded Zynergy Capital where he led the product development and broker-dealer operations for the technology enabled sell-side investment banking firm. Zynergy used a FinTech system to automate, oversee and accelerate project capital deployment into renewable energy. Derek contributed to a wide array of projects including a $7 million solar capital placement and a $1.2 billion pumped hydro-storage project.
Derek also founded and served as CEO of Product Harmonics where he performed product development and business turn around services for manufactured products companies. These services included restructuring global manufacturing footprints and supply chains, innovative product design, product and operational financial analysis and business development.
Earlier in his career, Derek held multiple engineering, manufacturing and leadership positions at leading organizations. Notably, Derek ran a software implementation services division for SDRC (Siemens PLM) that deployed engineering collaboration software to over 1,500 global sites. Derek earned the first 16 of his patents at ITT Automotive (Lear Corp) where he designed and manufactured products for Toyota Motor Company totaling over $4 billion in product sales.
Derek has a BA in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (graduated first in his ME class). He is also a world championship level competitive sailor with a silver medal in the 2011 Pan American Games and a 2003 World Championship. Derek lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.