David Hunt

Operating as a Non-Executive Director (NED) or in an Advisory capacity. Supporting and advising founders, investors and boards across the energy and mobility transition on leadership, organisational design and scaling companies. Drawing on 30+ years in executive search and two decades in cleantech to provide insight into talent, culture, succession and growth, with a focus on identifying and addressing people and structural challenges before they become barriers to scale.

Supporting Rockstart Energy program as a Mentor to help boost start-up growth, by providing expert knowledge and guidance to start-ups on growth, culture, high performing teams, hiring, boards and business development & strategy

I am the host of the Leaders in Cleantech podcast, a long-running series of conversations with founders, CEOs, investors and senior leaders across the global energy transition. Ranked in the top 2% of podcasts globally, the series has featured more than 160 episodes, offering a candid, behind-the-scenes perspective on what it takes to build and scale companies in complex, capital-intensive and rapidly evolving markets. The conversations focus less on promotion and more on the realities of leadership — including decision-making under uncertainty, scaling challenges, investor dynamics and the practical execution of innovation across sectors such as clean energy, energy storage, mobility and infrastructure. Over time, the podcast has become a valuable platform for engaging with the people shaping the energy transition, and has contributed to a broad and trusted network across founders, investors and operators within the ecosystem.

I founded Hyperion Search in 2014 with a focus on supporting the growth of companies operating across the clean energy and mobility transitions. Over the following decade, the business developed into a recognised specialist firm working with founders, investors and leadership teams across Europe and internationally, delivering senior leadership and board appointments for venture-backed scale-ups, corporates and infrastructure businesses. During this period, Hyperion worked across 19 countries, building a strong network within the global cleantech ecosystem, including renewable energy, energy storage, grid infrastructure, electrified mobility and smart energy systems. As Founder and CEO, my role extended well beyond executive search. I worked closely with clients on leadership strategy, organisational development and board composition, often supporting companies through key stages of growth, funding and international expansion. This provided a front-row view of the challenges involved in scaling innovation-led businesses, particularly in capital-intensive and rapidly evolving markets. Alongside building the business, I became an active contributor to the wider ecosystem, speaking and moderating at industry events across Europe including EcoSummit, Sifted Summit, Future of Utilities, Energy Storage Summits and Cleantech for Europe. These engagements focused on leadership, scaling challenges and the evolving dynamics of the energy transition. Following the acquisition of Hyperion Search by HC Group in 2024, in March 2026 I stepped back from day-to-day leadership and now serve as Non-Executive Chair, supporting the ongoing development of the business at a strategic level.

I was the Co-Founder and Sales & Marketing Director at Eco Environments, responsible for sales & marketing strategy and larger accounts. They were one of the UK's highest accredited and widely respected installers of renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions for the property and construction, commercial and Industrial (C&I) and residential markets. In the last three years I helped grow their turnover from £235k to £1.3m to £6.4m. The company also won many awards, including most recently the British Chambers of Commerce North West Business of the Year in 2012

Boutique practice, providing Executive search and advertising led recruitment solutions for positions in the £40,000 to £150,000 salary range. In this time I won and recruited for positions as diverse as a Financial Controller in the Falkland Islands to a VP of Sales and Marketing for a property developer in Qatar. I also worked in the UK for clients such as United Utilities, The FSB, British Vita and Axxon.

A sabatical role. Creating mutually beneficial partnerships between businesses and Barnardo's, the UK's largest childrens charity. I worked with SME's to PLC's such as PWC, Barclays and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I increased regional corporate income by over 400%

Worked primarily in the Telecoms industry Head Hunting for both technical and commercial roles for the then Telecoms giant Marconi. Recruited in Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Let go when the Telecoms sector collapsed in 2001.

My initial role was to help set up the company's first regional office. BMS recruit sales staff, primarily recruiting technical sales engineers and other commercial roles in the manufacturing & processing, industrial and construction sectors. I consistently achieved sales and growth targets, both personally and with the team I recruited. I was made an Associate Partner after my first year with the business. Latterly I set up their IT sales division in the North.

New business development and recruitment consultant. Placing sales people into technical, industrial and construction businesses. Achieved 197% of target and was consistently in the top 3 consultants in the UK. I left to take the opportunity to establish a northern office along with a senior partner from BMS.