OPT appoints Southern Europe representative

Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) has expanded its commercial team with the appointment of Jorge Franco as regional sales representative based in Spain.

Reporting to Jeff Wiener, OPT’s vice
president of global sales, Franco will concentrate on opportunities in Southern
Europe.

George H. Kirby, president and chief executive officer of OPT, said: “Southern Europe offers opportunities for OPT’s offshore power and communications solutions, particularly in the oil and gas industry. Jorge has significant relationships within leading companies operating in the region, and we believe his experience will be beneficial to serving OPT’s existing and prospective customers. We are excited to have him represent our solutions”.

Franco was most recently global account
vice president for Halliburton servicing the ENI and REPSOL accounts.

He has more than 20 years of experience in
multinational technical companies selling products and services for offshore
operations in Venezuela, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, West Africa, and Southeast
Asia.

Franco holds a Civil Engineering degree
from Argentina’s Universidad Nacional del Sur and a Petroleum Engineering
post-graduate certification from the University of Tulsa.

Headquartered in New Jersey, OPT has developed its ocean energy-powered PowerBuoy platform that provides clean and reliable electric power and real-time data communications for remote offshore and subsea applications in markets such as offshore oil and gas, defense and security, science and research, and communications.