Team
Daniel R. Faber, P.Eng
Acting C.E.O
Mr Daniel Faber is an entrepreneur and professional systems engineer, with qualifications and experience in mechanical and electrical engineering and system design. Mr Faber has worked in various engineering roles in nuclear instrumentation, spacecraft, power, construction and steel industries. He brings 7 years of experience designing complex hardware, software and control systems for operation in harsh environments. His other professional interests include planetary science, economics, systems engineering, and nuclear physics.
Mr Faber founded Heliocentric Technologies with the goal of applying new and innovative technical solutions to known bottlenecks in traditional industries. A focus on the mineral resource sector was a natural progression from sensor systems for planetary exploration.
His professional spacecraft projects include the MOST and NEOSSAT astronomy microsatellites, the 5-kilogram BRITE nanosatellite astronomy mission, and the design, assembly, integration and testing of avionics for an orbiting habitation module.
Mr Faber holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics from the University of New South Wales.
Thomas Ducellier
Executive Director
Mr Ducellier is an experienced high tech entrepreneur from the telecommunications and clean tech industries.
Prior to Heliocentric, Mr Ducellier was CEO/CTO of Varisolar, a solar technology company and Principal at Solo Renewable Energy, a business management consulting firm servicing clean technology ventures, with a particular emphasis on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Previously Mr Ducellier was the founder of Metconnex, a photonics start-up developing advanced optical switching modules for agile optical networks. Based in Ottawa, Metconnex grew under Mr Ducellier's leadership to employ 75 people, with $25M in investor funding. As CEO then CTO, he led the company from its inception through three rounds of funding, assembling an international investors syndicate, growing the company and developing the original product and market vision to commercial launch.
Prior to founding Metconnex, Mr Ducellier occupied various management and research positions with JDSU in Ottawa and Alcatel in France and Germany.
Mr Ducellier has earned two engineering degrees, one from École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France, in 1992 and one from École Supérieure des Télècommunications de Paris, France, in 1994 with a specialization in wireless and photonics.
He has authored more than 30 reviewed papers and international conference presentations and holds 44 patents or applications in the field of semiconductors, photonics and solar technologies.
John McNeice, CA, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Mr McNeice is a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant (Illinois). Mr McNeice provides financial consulting services to emerging private and junior public companies. His experience has been gained with emerging and public technology, life science and exploration / junior mining companies.
Mr McNeice is also virtual CFO of Aura Silver Resources Inc. (TSX-V: AUU), Patrician Diamonds Inc. (TSX-V: PXC), and Phoenix Matachewan Mines Inc. (TSX-V: PMM) where he is responsible for financial and regulatory reporting as well as day-to-day financial management of these Venture listed public companies focused on early stage mineral exploration.
From September 2005 to May 2007, Mr McNeice was Chief Financial Officer of Ur-Energy Inc. (TSX: URE), a uranium exploration and development company. He was a member of the management team directly involved in financing and the initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange. During Mr McNeice's tenure, Ur-Energy raised an aggregate of $150 million in a series of private placements, an IPO and several secondary financings and reached a market capitalization of $400 million. Mr McNeice was also responsible for financial and regulatory reporting as well as day-to-day financial management.
From 1990 to 2003, Mr McNeice gained 13 years of public accounting experience with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP where he led service teams focused on both private and public clients in the technology and life sciences sector. Practice areas focused on audits and quarterly reviews for Canadian and US listed public clients and included participation in IPO, secondary financing and merger and acquisition transactions.