About XGS
XGS Energy is on a mission to provide Clean, Round-the-Clock Energy Everywhere, Forever. Our team of scientists, engineers and change-markers are some of the best and brightest with decades of experience in geoscience, resource evaluation, technology development, field operations, and project development and financing.
Leadership team
Josh Prueher
Chief Executive Officer
Josh has founded and sold multiple energy technology and infrastructure companies over 15 years. Following the sale of Earl Energy, which designed and built mission-critical microgrids for the U.S. military, Josh founded and served as CEO of FlexGen, a leading utility-scale energy storage system integrator. While at FlexGen, Josh co-founded and served as CFO at Broad Reach Power, which became the largest energy storage Independent Power Producer in the U.S., deploying over $900 million in infrastructure capital in two years. Broad Reach Power was acquired by ENGIE in late 2023. Early in his career, Josh was an investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York where he completed over $15 billion in equity and debt transactions. He is a U.S. Navy veteran with a B.S. in History with Honors from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was the Brigade Commander, and an M.B.A. from the University of Oxford, where he was the Fitzgerald Scholar.
GHAZAL IZADI, Ph.D.
Chief Growth Officer
Ghazal has led technological advancement and operations in unconventional oil & gas and geothermal for over a decade. Prior to XGS, Ghazal held a series of technical leadership positions at Baker Hughes, most recently Global Lead of Reservoir Technical Services, covering North and Latin America, Middle East, and APAC regions, and including emerging geothermal technology evaluation and implementation. This rich background reflects her commitment to a holistic approach, spanning from subsurface insights to well construction and tailored surface geothermal facility design. Ghazal earned her Ph.D. from Penn State University, specializing in a range of topics including computational geomechanics, fluid transport in fractured and porous media, applied rock mechanics, and Advanced/Enhanced Geothermal Systems. Her profound expertise extends to authoring more than 40 technical papers. Ghazal’s industry leadership was recognized with the preeminent geothermal trade group, Geothermal Rising’s, “Henry J. Ramey, Jr. Geothermal Reservoir Engineering Award” in 2022.
AXEL-PIERRE BOIS, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer
Axel leverages more than 30 years of experience in geomechanics, wellbore integrity, completions design, and cement and rock testing in his leadership of XGS’ advanced geothermal technology development. Prior to XGS, Axel founded and served as CEO of CURISTEC, a technical advisory firm providing services in oil & gas, geothermal, and geologic storage industries. Axel is a leading expert in technology development and testing for extreme subsurface environments, including the superhot and supercritical conditions crucial for high-performance geothermal energy production. He holds a Ph.D. in Geomechanics from the Université de Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada.
LUCY DARAGO, Ph.D.
Chief Commercial Officer
Lucy is an accomplished leader with a robust background in energy and sustainability. Prior to XGS, Lucy served as a Principal at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she specialized in the Energy, Climate & Sustainability, and Public Sector practices. At BCG, Lucy led clean energy studies and investment strategies for renewable energy developers, utilities, integrated energy companies, and large-scale energy consumers globally. Lucy holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, where she authored over 25 technical papers in materials science for energy and computing applications. Her unique blend of technical expertise and strategic vision positions her as a driving force in advancing XGS’s commercial initiatives and expanding its impact in the renewable energy sector.
Kurt Fricker
Chief Procurement Officer
Kurt Fricker is an enterprise supply chain and procurement executive with deep experience leading asset-intensive, safety-critical organizations through transformation, disruption, and growth. As Chief Procurement Officer of XGS Energy, Kurt leads the contracting of equipment suppliers and EPCs across XGS’s portfolio, translating facility engineering designs into procurement specifications, scopes of work, and commercial terms. Kurt spent his career at Hess Corporation (acquired by Chevron in 2025), where he built and scaled the enterprise procurement function, expanding spend under management from roughly $1 billion to $4 billion and institutionalizing category management, supplier governance, and commercial discipline across Drilling & Completions, Capital Projects, and Operations. Across his tenure he delivered more than $1 billion in sustained value impact. As Hess’s global executive lead for Supplier Relationship Management, he oversaw engagement with the company’s top strategic partners. Kurt is based in Houston, Texas.
AL VICKERS
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
Al Vickers is a proven energy executive with roughly 30 years of experience spanning petrochemicals, oil and gas, LNG, renewables, and electric transmission, leading businesses from start-ups to global scale across five continents. As Chief Operating Officer of XGS Energy, Al is responsible for the integrated delivery of XGS’s portfolio of geothermal projects. Previously, as COO of Grid United, he grew the portfolio from three to more than a dozen multi-billion-dollar interregional transmission projects across North America, including the 3 GW North Plains Connector. As CEO of bp’s utility-scale renewables business, he safely delivered multiple construction and repowering projects on time and on budget across a roughly 500-person, $750M-per-year organization while doubling EBITDA. Al also held senior executive roles at bp, including SVP of Global Upstream Production and SVP of Global Drilling and Wells, where he oversaw a ~$4B annual budget and 50 rigs across five continents and delivered a 40% reduction in well cost. Al holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Manchester, is a Professional Engineer, and is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.
Richard Chong
Chief Financial Officer
Richard is an experienced finance executive with extensive experience in Non‑Recourse Project Finance, Corporate Finance, M&A, Capital Markets, Financial Analysis, and Strategic Planning across the energy sector. He has a proven track record of structuring and executing multi‑billion‑dollar financings, managing complex capital structures, and leading high‑performing teams. Prior to joining XGS, Richard was the VP of Finance at Calpine Corp where he led the $2.25 billion financing of the Geysers geothermal assets which achieved a ‘Green Loan’ designation from the Climate Bond Initiative and an award for ‘Deal of the Year’ from PFI. Other recent transactions for Calpine include $1 billion financing for the construction of 680 MWs of the Nova Battery Energy Storage facility and the monetization of $400mm of ITC tax credits. Richard was also responsible for managing $2.5 billion revolver and a corporate debt structure consisting of $3.7 billion of Term Loan B facilities and $6billion of secured and unsecured 144A bonds. Richard graduated from Cambridge University with a BA in Economics and received an MSc. in Shipping, Trade and Finance from the Bayes Business School in the UK. He also qualified as a Chartered Accountant and trained as an auditor at PWC in London.
Board Of Directors
Martin S. Craighead
Former Chairman and CEO, Baker Hughes, Board Director at Emerson Electric and Texas Instruments
Piotr D. Moncarz, Ph.D., P.E., NAE
XGS Board Vice Chairman, Adjunct Professor, Stanford University, Former Senior Fellow and Principal Engineer, Exponent
David Seldin
Co-founder and Managing Partner, Anzu Partners. Former NFL football team president with 35+ years of equity experience.
Glen Robinson
Vice President, Constellation, 30+ years in power industry finance, strategy, and operations
Joe Goodman, Ph.D.
Co-founder and Managing Partner, VoLo Earth Ventures, 20+ years experience in clean tech as three-time company founder, and at Rocky Mountain Institute, GE Energy
Narin Apisuitimitree
Senior Principal at Xplor Ventures, CVC of PTTEP, 25+ years of experience in investment strategy and the energy sector
our investors and partners
Join Us
Explore future career opportunities and learn more about working at XGS Energy
