Milton Keynes-based
Helix (a trading name of Integral Powertrain Ltd), the UK manufacturer of the world’s most power-dense electric motors and inverters, has appointed Graham Belgum as CEO to lead the business as it enters the next phase of its global expansion.
Mr Belgum is a chartered engineer and brings an extraordinary wealth of experience to Helix, with a particular focus on bringing new electric vehicles to market. He joins the company after three years at Fortescue Zero (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering), where he served as general manager for heavy industry, responsible for the creation of a new capability to develop and industrialise modular battery power systems for off-road applications, including mining.
Prior to this, Belgum was president and then CEO of Optare, where he led the company’s electrification programme and laid the foundation for its rebrand to Switch Mobility. Preceding this, he served in senior leadership roles at Condor Ferries and First Group UK. Before entering the private sector, he served in the British Army, where he was overall engineering manager for the Challenger Main Battle Tank fleet. Darren Cairns, outgoing CEO and company co-founder, is stepping down 27 years after co-founding the business. He will remain an active part of Helix, working in an advisory role alongside Mr Belgum.
Mr Belgum said: “I am thrilled to be joining Helix at this truly exciting time. With its exceptional offering of innovative electric propulsion and control solutions across a wide range of sectors – including automotive, aerospace, marine and defence – the company is perfectly placed as we accelerate our growth around the globe. I also want to pay tribute to Darren, whose hard work and dedication over the past three decades has helped cement Helix’s status as a pioneer and market leader.”
Exciting new eraMr Cairns added: “As one of Helix’s founders, this company has been an integral part of my professional life, and I am incredibly proud of the success we have achieved together. However, I am certain Graham is the right person to now lead this business and know that Helix will continue to thrive under his leadership. This is an exciting new era for Helix and I am extremely positive about what lies ahead.”
Already this year, Helix has made several key senior management appointments, including Warren Roberts as chief operating officer and Dr Mike Bolen as the company’s sales director for North America. Helix’s global headquarters and ‘state of the art’ production facility are based in Milton Keynes, and the company is a leading supplier of high-performance electric powertrains, including fully scalable high-power-density electric motors, inverters, and electric drive units, engineered and manufactured in-house.
Its technologies have already been applied in several high-growth electric mobility markets, including top-level motorsport in Formula E; within hypercars and supercars such as the Czinger 21c an Aston Martin Valkyrie; vertical take-off and landing aircraft; space launch providers; high-performance motorcycles; and watercraft with Seabird technologies in the E1 Race Series, and the Magic Carpet-e high-performance sailing yacht.