Graham Cooley
Graham Cooley is a British entrepreneur and investor, known for his contributions to energy storage and hydrogen technologies. Over a career spanning more than 35 years serving as leader in notable British companies, Cooley continues to play a significant role in the advancement of sustainable energy technologies.
Early life and education
Graham Cooley was born in Slough, England in 1964 to Mike Cooley, an engineer, writer, and trade union leader and Shirley Cooley, a physics teacher. He studied physics at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, earning a BSc in 1985. He completed his PhD in Materials Physics at Brunel University in 1989, where he currently holds an honorary professorship. Cooley later pursued an MBA at the University of Bradford and a Diploma in Managing Innovation from the University of Oxford.Career
Cooley began his professional career at the Central Electricity Research Laboratory in Leatherhead in 1989, working as an R&D Manager. Following the privatisation of the Central Electricity Generating Board in 1990, he joined National Power PLC, where he contributed to the development of the Regenesys energy storage technology. He later served as Business Development Manager at both National Power and International Power PLC.In 2000, Cooley was appointed CEO of Antenova. During his leadership, Antenova secured £9.4 million in venture capital funding and expanded its wireless communication product offerings before it was later acquired by discoverIE in 2021.
Cooley subsequently became CEO of Metalysis in 2003, a University of Cambridge spin-out company which he relocated to The Hi-tech Manufacturing Hub in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. From 2007 to 2009, Cooley led Sensortec, Universal Sensors, and Cawood PLC, focusing on industrial diagnostics and biosensor technologies.
In 2009, Cooley was appointed CEO of ITM Power PLC, a manufacturer of electrolysers for green hydrogen production. Cooley raised almost £500 million for ITM and in 2021 opened the world’s largest electrolyser manufacturing facility in Sheffield. Cooley served as a member of the UK Government’s Hydrogen Advisory Council and chaired the ESG Committee at RenewableUK.
Since 2023, Cooley has held several non-executive roles, including Director at Cadent Gas and Board Member of the Cadent Foundation. He is currently Chairman of Light Science Technologies Holdings Plc, Chairman of CAP-XX Ltd. and Non-Executive Director of Gelion plc.