Ben Verschueren is an innovative leader with expansive experience connecting technology to outcomes and effectively motivating and managing interdisciplinary teams. He is adept at managing portfolios of research and development programs across multiple industries, from program selection through conclusion. He is a trusted mentor and creative problem solver, able to work across organizational boundaries. Ben is passionate about enabling others, looking for ways to remove barriers and help empower innovators and his team.
Ben spent most of his career in varying roles with General Electric, from hands on research through managing strategic innovation portfolios at corporate and business unit levels. He established multiple innovation platforms and an incubator lab focused on funding a portfolio of projects building hands-on prototypes of exponential technologies applied to industrial ecosystems. He developed and nurtured multiple university and business partnerships and collaborations, from startups to large corporations. He also established GE Research’s formal IR&D portfolio, enabling deeper government collaboration and funding opportunities. He established himself as a trusted resource always willing to help others figure out how to navigate and creatively work within internal and external systems to secure funding, resources, and support for advancing their ideas.
Most recently, Ben was Director of Global Labs at Fluence, where he grew a global team and network of test facilities and labs responsible for finalizing next generation, grid-scale energy storage systems. Ben quickly became known for his ability to work across the organization to create highly collaborative teams and advance product development towards scalable and reliable solutions.
Ben graduated with bachelors’ degrees in computer science and electrical engineering from Brown University, and a master’s degree in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He holds a black belt in Six Sigma.
Ben lives in Niskayuna, NY with his wife (Kerry), two daughters (Donna and Riley) and two dogs (Calvin and Rosalyn). In his spare time, he enjoys time with family, including international travel and card and board games. He enjoys running and OCR (obstacle course racing) and is an avid movie buff.
