Ian Blake
Controller
Ian graduated from the University of Birmingham, England, a member of the Russell Group of British Universities, which is similar to the US Ivy League.
Before moving into the energy industry, Ian worked with big 4 accounting firms in London and the Middle East. He is a Chartered Accountant in England and Wales, which is the equivalent of the CPA designation in the US.
He has held Financial Controller and Head of Finance positions with large, publicly listed organizations including Atlantic Richfield, BP, Sinopec and WorleyParsons. This provided opportunities to live and work in a variety of countries including the United Arab Emirates, USA, Venezuela, Switzerland and Kuwait, working closely with engineers of various disciplines on large capital investment programs.
Most recently, Ian was Head of Finance for a manufacturer of components for wind turbine blades in Allentown, PA, and prior to that, managed project finances for the implementation of pilot renewable energy facilities for the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research.
As Controller for Arora, Ian is responsible for overseeing all financial accounting and management reporting, tax, treasury, and internal controls; ensuring Arora has the systems and procedures in place to support the anticipated growth of the business.
Despite being of the boomer generation (just), Ian is a believer in the digital economy and recently completed the Wharton Economics of Blockchain and Digital Assets Online Certificate Program. However, no conversations with Ian about crypto should be construed as investment advice.
