HELIOZ was founded by Martin Wesian. His first experience with the issue of waterborne diseases was a personal one. When he was travelling through Venezuela a number of years ago, he caught Cholera through drinking contaminated water. Since then, he has dedicated himself to finding innovative solutions to reduce the number of waterborne diseases.
The concept which caught most of his attention was ‘solar water disinfection’. This method to disinfect water does not require batteries, filters or chemicals for use, but only needs the power of the sun and a PET or Glassbottle. However, this smart and efficient method is widely unknown and only applied by a few million people worldwide. Martin Wesian believes that the main reason for this are the difficulties to explain how solar water disinfection works and how to predict the length of this process.
In the following, Martin came up with his idea: He wanted to create a sustainable and cost-effective UV measurement device to measure the process of solar water disinfection. Because the general feedback to this idea was compelling, Martin decided to realise his invention. To do so, in 2007, he signed up for a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering; his MA thesis was about the measurement device, which he later named WADI (for WAter DIsinfection).
In 2010, to promote his invention, Martin Wesian founded the company HELIOZ. Martin and the whole HELIOZ Team will continue to work hard to provide clean drinking water to everyone.
HELIOZ has its Headquaters HELIOZ R&D GmbH in Vienna and is working via HELIOZ GmbH in Vienna for the European market and via HELIOZ Global Services Ltd. for the Indian market.
Barbara Oberfichtner is our Programme Manager. Barbara obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in General Biology and is currently finishing her MSc in Biological Anthropology. She joined HELIOZ in September 2017. She is responsible for implementing WADI projects in chosen countries and coordinating involved stakeholders. She leads Impact Measurement and -Reporting and has experience in communication and PR.
Utkarsh Sethia is our Project Manager based in the Indian office of Helioz. Utkarsh obtained a Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) degree in Chemical Engineering and has more than 3 years of work experience in the development sector in India. His passion for learning and expertise in the field of project management & business development involving sustainable technologies demonstration is a perfect fit for Helioz. He joined Helioz in September, 2020 and is responsible for project management & business development in India and selected countries of Sub-Saharan Africa & Southeast Asia.
Gregor Riss is our experienced and passionate Business Development and Sales Manager. He joined HELIOZ in January 2016. He previously worked in technology driven companies in the food and chemical industry. He has expertise in: developing new markets, evaluating sales and distribution channels, optimizing the sales network and developing pricing strategies. He leads business development in India and sales and marketing in the EU.
Sarah Entacher joined the HELIOZ Team in 2019. She is responsible for marketing, customer marketing and communications and has previous experience in public relations and project management. Sarah studied business law with focus on public & nonprofit management.
Martin Wesian, our founder, holds a MSc. in International Business Engineering from UAS Technikum Vienna. He originally developed the concept of HELIOZ and is an entrepreneurial, solution-oriented executive who creates value for social investors and focuses on topics such as sustainable growth, frugal innovation and social entrepreneurship.
Martin is also a founding board member of the Austrian Social Entrepreneurship Network (SENA) and Member of the Board at the Austrian UN Global Compact.
Previously he was involved in various start-ups, built up branches in Sweden and Germany and operated a small Culture management business for more than 10 years.
Stefan Pollak, with more than 8 years of experience in the injection moulding and tool building business, will be our Technical Project Manager. He worked as a key account manager for US companies, helping to equip new facilities with injection moulding machines and moulds and defining processes for mass production. He studies packaging technology at the FH Campus Vienna. He has proficiency in sustainability and product life cycle.
Manuela Bachlechner is our Project and Financial Manager. She studied business administration and specialized in controlling and international accounting. She has many years of experience in the corporate and non-corporate sector. She joined HELIOZ in June 2016. Her experience in the administration of large projects and in an international and multicultural business environment for more than 15 years perfectly fits the HELIOZ team.
Dr. Michael Preclik is our Partnership Relations Manager and has extensive experience in Sales and Business Development in the energy sector, start-ups, financial services and the e-mobility fields. He holds a joint MSc degree from WU-Vienna and Emory University and a joint PhD degree from WU-Vienna and ETH Lausanne. He joined HELIOZ in 2020, is responsible for attracting and acquiring new customers in the DACH region as well as developing new markets and customer satisfaction.
Niclas Schmiedmaier holds a double degree from the University of Vienna and from the University of Notre Dame. He is an acting-partner at CBS-consulting in Austria and a partner at BNS Management Consulting in the UK. Through his expertise in business planning, strategy, financing, law and HR he brings success to both national and international projects. His previous work includes the CFO of Life+ and clients such as the Avesta Group.
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