Executive Search Story:
Elevating Summit Nanotech’s C-Suite
September 10, 2024 | Search Success Stories
Summit Nanotech, a venture-backed startup commercializing sustainable direct lithium extraction technology, partnered with Berkner Group this year on three key hires.
Summit Nanotech, a venture-backed startup commercializing sustainable direct lithium extraction technology, partnered with Berkner Group this year on three key hires: VP of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer. The company raised a Series A2 in January 2023 and was named among the 50 fastest-growing sustainability companies and most investable cleantech ventures in Canada by Corporate Knights and Foresight, respectively. We proudly showcase our work elevating Summit’s executive team with highly specialized and in-demand expertise.
VP of Engineering Search
Summit’s new VP of Engineering, Katerina Kryst, is an accomplished Canada-based leader with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and extensive experience scaling lithium extraction technologies. Upon finding Katerina, it was immediately apparent that she would be the perfect candidate for Summit, but she was hesitant to leave her current role. We understand that leaving a company can be a difficult decision, so we respectfully kept in contact with Katerina and worked to facilitate an intro meeting with Summit. Katerina eventually showed interest in learning more, and after discussions with Summit’s CEO, Amanda Hall, Katerina was all in and excited to join their team!
Chief Technology Officer Search
We identified, thoroughly vetted, and introduced the eventual CTO hire, Jeremy Patt, to Summit within 12 days. Jeremy has more than 15 years in leadership as a chemical engineer and a seasoned CTO, most recently at AquaHydrex. We identified him as an ideal candidate based on his experience commercializing multiple first-of-kind chemical process technologies, including scaling from R&D to pilot plants and manufacturing.
Upon interviewing Jeremy, CEO Amanda Hall and members of the Board decided to immediately pause the search and focus on him as their top candidate. Jeremy’s rapid advancement was a clear indicator that our team had succeeded in narrowing in on the exact skills and experience they were seeking. Because we found Jeremy quickly, Summit had the perfect CTO hire well ahead of schedule.
We are grateful Summit Nanotech trusted Berkner Group to do what we do best: efficiently and reliably elevating our client’s teams by finding and attracting the most qualified candidates.