Christopher R. Bentley

Christopher R. Bentley is Executive Vice President of Government R&D Operations and Strategic Manufacturing Development at FuelCell Energy, Danbury, CT, a position he has held since January 2005. FuelCell Energy is a leading developer of stationary fuel cells for power generation. Mr. Bentley joined the company in 1990 to develop manufacturing and operations capability in support of the company’s fuel cell commercialization initiative. He was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer in 1998 and served on the Board of Directors from 1993-04. Prior to joining FuelCell Energy, he was Director of Manufacturing (1985), Vice-President and General Manager (1985-88) and President (1989) of the Turbine Airfoils Division of Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation, a major manufacturer of gas turbine hardware. From 1960-85 he was with the General Electric Company where he served a four-year apprenticeship and completed the GE Manufacturing Management Program prior to a series of increasingly responsible manufacturing positions. He currently serves as a director of Versa Power Systems, Inc., a developer of solid oxide fuel cells, and he is a former director of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Bentley received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tufts University in 1966.