Grafoid Strengthens its Graphene Commercialization Capabilities - Announces the Appointment of Norm Major, a Former Director of Engineering at Cisco Systems Inc., as Chief Technology Officer

KINGSTON, Ontario, April 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grafoid Inc., a Canadian graphene R&D, investment and technology licensing company is pleased to announce the appointment of engineering executive Normand (Norm) Major as Chief Technology Officer of Grafoid and its related companies and subsidiaries. His appointment is effective April 17, 2017.

Mr. Major, a former Director of Engineering at San Jose, California-based Cisco Systems Inc., has a significant history in both product development and business development. He replaces Dr. Gordon Chiu as CTO who has resigned to pursue other interests as Grafoid has transitioned from the research to the commercialization stage. Dr. Chiu remains a Co-Founder and a Director of the Company.

As an accomplished senior engineering executive, Mr. Major has extensive experience and, a proven track record of successfully delivering complex products developed by multi-disciplinary (small-to-large 250+) technology development teams in the United States and Canada.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree (Electrical Engineering) from McMaster University and completed graduate courses in electrical engineering at Stanford University. He is also of member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest professional organization for the advancement of technology.

Grafoid President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Economo welcomed Mr. Major's leadership participation in the Company's broad commercialization efforts and its global marketing activities.

?Mr. Major's diverse engineering management, proven team leadership and mentoring skills give impetus to Grafoid's expansionary business goals as we continue to introduce new graphene products to the market.

?The leap to commercialization from R&D requires a mix of both product engineering and business development skills to succeed in the low carbon economy,? Mr. Economo said. ?Mr. Major has a firm grasp of those next generational technology needs and we look forward to his future contributions.?

A self-described early stage technology investor, Mr. Major has served in an advisory capacity for a number of firms, most recently, the Security and Policy Institute at the University of Ottawa. He is also a former Chairman and a Director of MuAnalysis Inc., a Canadian provider of advanced high technology analytical services and now, a wholly owned subsidiary of Grafoid Inc.

Mr. Major's executive management positions include:

VP Engineering, Teslonix Inc., a technology company with expert knowledge and a growing patent portfolio in the area of long-range energy transfer and 3D localization whose goal is to provide technologies that empower the Internet of Things (IoT) by building systems to better manage ?things.?

CEO and Partner, Majorspeed Canada, Inc., providing senior executive management and technical leadership services to development teams.

Chief Technology Officer, Hotel Communication Network, management lead for software development team and defined next generation hardware.

Director Engineering at Cisco Systems Inc., holding a number of progressive management positions including: Director of Engineering Access for the Dial Platforms Business Unit; Senior Engineering Manager, and; Director of Engineering for the Core Business Unit.

Mr. Major was instrumental in Cisco's product development successes, including: Cisco 1000 (access router), Cisco 7200 (mid-range router), Cisco 5800 (high density dial platform) and VoIP feature development on various Cisco platforms.

About Grafoid Inc.

Grafoid is focused on four areas of graphene-related technology development for industrial adoption. They are, graphene based materials for energy creation, storage and transmission; graphene based polymers; graphene coatings, and; ultra-thin graphene membranes for all industrial sectors.

Grafoid is a Canadian graphene R&D, investment and technology licencing company. The company provides expertise as well as product and processes for transformative, industrial-scale graphene applications in partnership with leading corporations and institutions around the world.

A privately held Canadian corporation, Grafoid invests in graphene applications and economically scalable production processes for graphene and graphene derivatives from raw, unprocessed graphite ore. Focus Graphite Inc. holds a significant interest in Grafoid Inc.

Incorporated in 2011, Grafoid's global enterprise platform includes 17 subsidiary companies engaged in the development of Mesograftm materials and products; GrafeneX ultra-thin graphene industrial coatings; its GPURE graphene platform of industrial membrane products, and; the provision of commercialization development services. They include, but are not limited to: Mesograftm-enhanced lithium batteries for electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and industrial energy storage; polymers, plastics, rubber, elastomers, and composite materials; fiber science including aluminum alloys; lubricants; fire retardant materials; thermal management solutions; EMI/RFI/EMP shielding; solar solutions, and analytical testing, and; laboratory services.

Grafoid's research is supported through the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) of the National Research Council of Canada, and, on February 20, 2015, Grafoid received an $8.1 million investment from the SD Tech Fundtm of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) to develop a technology that will automate Mesograftm graphene production and end-product development. SDTC is mandated by the Government of Canada to support clean technology companies as they move their technologies to market.

For more information about Grafoid, please visit http://www.grafoid.com

Contact:
Grafoid Inc.
Gary Economo
President and CEO
[email protected]