Management Team

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Founder and Chairman – Mukesh Bhandari

Bhandari is the Chairman and Founder of Firefly, which he acquired in 2010. When Mr. Bhandari first came across carbon-foam technology in 2008 at the European Battery Exhibition, he aspired to develop and grow a business that specialized in advanced battery technologies. When he got the opportunity to acquire it in early 2010, he started evaluating the acquisition opportunity. He completed the required due diligence for evaluating the technology and its usefulness for the customer, and then acquired the technology in October 2010. He hired key people from the former Firefly Energy that had good understanding of the technology. Then, he began product development and identifying key areas for improvement. Mr. Bhandari realized that the most important element of Firefly’s technology was its competitive pricing, which he further developed in house. This has not only reduced the cost of production, but it has also allowed Firefly to have control over sourcing the key components. Mr. Bhandari was key in identifying the first licensee for Firefly Technology in India, which has now been setup with manufacturing having commenced from December 2014. Over the last few years, he has played a key role in establishing the production processes at Firefly who have started selling its batteries in small volumes to important customers, such as various defense contractors, as well as City Link in Peoria. Mr. Bhandari has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science, Indore, India.

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Chief Operating Officer – Rajen Patel

An electronics and communications engineer with 38 years’ experience in creating and applying power-management solutions to industrial applications. In 1993, co-founded Hyacinth Technology Inc., a prime supplier of high voltage power units and amplifiers to a host of companies involved in specialized industrial, commercial, scientific, and military application. Since then, Hyacinth has grown into a profitable and highly-respected organization providing thousands of power solutions for use in pulsed gas-lasers, industrial x -ray equipment, mass spectrometry equipment, pulsed-light aesthetics treatment devices, utility cable and insulation testing equipment (for solar and wind Energy) and various other applications. As President of Firefly International energy Co., his focus will be to establish a long-lasting business relationship with all customers, based on customer requirements and their satisfaction, both in the product as well as service.

“We, at Firefly will be driving ourselves constantly to meet our long term as well as short term goals, utilizing the exceptional technology available with us – the patented Microcell Carbon Foam to set enviable standards in the lead-acid battery performance and life.”

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Chief Executive Officer - Siddharth Bhandari

Siddharth Bhandari is a B. Tech (Bachelor of Engineering) graduate from Vellore Institute of Technology ( VIT ). He studied for MS (Electrical Engineering) from NYU, New York. He is certified in Technology Management from NYU, New York.

His key areas of interest are in renewable energy, energy storage, electric vehicles and in developing innovative solutions to help the poor around the world.

He plays a significant role in maintaining high quality standards for the manufactured products and is involved in business development. An accomplished leader, his vast knowledge and guidance drives Firefly Energy to become an ever-enterprising company.

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Testing Manager – Rob MacDuff

Rob MacDuff, Sr. Battery Development Engineer at Firefly, is a Technology Specialist with 24-years of diversified experience in an engineering and R&D environment encompassing laboratory management, electrochemical research, product testing, process engineering, project management, product development, and implementing quality systems. Exceptional problem solving skills were developed while generating successful innovative solutions. Rob oversees production of batteries including the formation and subsequent testing prior to their dispatch.

Prior to joining firefly, Rob held several key positions in several organizations, including Jonson Controls where he worked in their Research & Development division for Advanced Lead Acid Batteries. He was responsible for R&D of high efficiency battery electrodes and also for the design, modification, & implementation of new equipment & processes for the development & testing of advanced battery systems.

Rob earned his“Associate in Applied Science: Electronics Technology” and “Associate of Science: Engineering” degrees from College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and has around 18 publications and patents to his credit.

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International Marketing Executive – Priyanka Bhatt

Priyanka Bhatt has studied for a Master degree specializing in Chemistry from Kamraj Madurai University.

She has more than a decade of experience in the field of Marketing. Since 2020, she has been instrumental in reaching out to global markets for international business development.

She is well versed in deep data research on consumers, competitors and market conditions and has the ability to convert complex data and tabulating the data in understandable tables, graphs and written reports.