Why Our Leadership Team is Poised For Success
Hal Hinkle
CEO, Director
Former CEO, BrokerTec Global
Hal Hinkle
CEO, Director
Former CEO, BrokerTec Global
Hal is the CEO of BamCore and its parent Global Bamboo Technologies, Inc. He was introduced to BamCore first in 2014 when building a home in Sonoma County, CA. That led to a deep dive into understanding timber bamboo’s unique growth and use potentials. Following his initial investments in BamCore, he assumed the leadership of BamCore in January 2017 and built the team that is taking BamCore forward on its mission to lower the carbon, cost, and labor now going into the built world.
During his 22 years at Goldman Sachs, Hal successfully started multiple businesses. After Goldman, he started and successfully sold BrokerTec Global. In 2004, Hal established the Hinkle Charitable Foundation to advocate for cultural and climate mitigation causes. In 2021, he also established the World Bamboo Foundation to specifically advocate for the recognition of timber bamboo as a powerful tool to address both climate change and mitigate global rural poverty. He holds a BS degree (with Dean’s Honors) in biochemistry from UC Irvine and an MBA (Beta Gama Sigma) from Columbia Business School and MS, MPhil, and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia Medical School. While at Columbia Medical School, he was selected by the National Science Foundation as a Graduate Research Fellow.
James (Jamie) Forese
Chairman
Former President, Citi
James (Jamie) Forese
Chairman
Former President, Citi
Jamie’s interest in the company evolved from a strong belief that a sustainable future requires commercially attractive solutions like BamCore’s.
Jamie Forese is the former President of Citigroup. He began his career in securities trading with Salomon Brothers, one of Citigroup’s predecessor companies, in 1985. He has over 30 years’ international business and management experience in the finance industry, working in global markets, investment, and private banking. Jamie currently serves as a non-executive director on the board of HSBC Holdings PLC, one of the world’s largest banks, and the chairman of its US subsidiary. He is also a trustee of Colby College and a former director of the Princeton University Investment Company, the university’s endowment management entity. Jamie graduated from Princeton University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Sam Wren
Advisor
CEO, IPGL
Sam Wren
Advisor
CEO, IPGL
“I am a keen advocate of Hal, the team, and all they are working to achieve. They have the ability and know-how to transform the housing market both in the US and overseas, and I can’t wait to see this business transform the built environment both domestic and commercial to the environmental benefit of all of us.”
Samantha (Sam) Wren, CEO of IPGL, a privately owned investment firm and shareholder in BamCore, acts in an advisory capacity to the firm. Before IPGL, Sam was previously Group CFO and COO of NEX Group Plc, the electronic FX and government bond markets, and post-trade operator. She also held senior finance positions at London listed companies Rank Group Plc and Rentokil Initial plc. Sam is a chartered management accountant, has a degree in economics, and is a non-executive director of both the UK equity income fund City of London Investment Trust plc and English winemaker Chapel Down Group plc as well as several other non-quoted companies in her capacity as IPGL’s CEO including IPGL’s property development vehicle, Faro Capital.
Doug Rhoten
Director
CEO, ICAP, Patent Brokerage
Doug Rhoten
Director
CEO, ICAP, Patent Brokerage
A graduate of St. Michael’s University, Mr. Rhoten began his ICAP experience 35 years ago as a money market and swaps broker in 1977. He moved into derivatives in 1985 and subsequently headed up the interest rate derivative division. After 1995, Mr. Rhoten assumed increasingly greater senior management responsibilities and focused on a number of growth initiatives for ICAP including building and strengthening its equity, credit, energy, emerging markets, soft commodity and futures capabilities.
President of Garvin Guy Butler (GGB) Broker for 5 years from 1994, CEO of ICAP Americas for 15 years from 1999, responsibilities included ICAP Americas’ brokerage & operations comprising of 1,800 employees and $800 million in revenues. His executive roles also included representing the Americas on ICAP’s Global Management and Risk Committees & Chaired the Americas Operating Committee. He was also a member of the ICAP Global Intellectual Property and Technology Governance Committees and was a founding member of The Green Exchange.
Retiring from ICAP PLC in 2013, purchased & assumed Chairman roll of ICAP IP, CoFounder Otra Capital Alternative Lending Fund, a founding member of LES Patent Standards Committee, FFCV Mentorship Committee, Spiral Sun Healthy Food Fund Advisor, Founding member IP Angels Fund, Advisor Sinai Eating Disorder Clinic project, Advisor Liquineq BlockChain, Board Director Gain Capital & BOD IPGL Investments, BOD Slice Sodas, BOD Glasswall Solutions, BOD Incubex, and BOD Apiary Life.
Scott Kirksey
Director
CEO, BenefitMall
Scott Kirksey
Director
CEO, BenefitMall
Scott Kirksey has been a part of the BenefitMall family for more than 15 years and serves as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer. Prior to his promotion, he served as BenefitMall’s President and Chief Financial Officer since December 1999. Before joining BenefitMall, Kirksey served as co-CFO and Vice President of Financial Planning/Reporting at Greyhound. In this post, he was part of the management team tasked in 1995 with turning the company around from near bankruptcy. He was also instrumental in the successful sale of Greyhound to Laidlaw in April 1999. Before joining Greyhound, Kirksey served as Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller for several Hicks Muse-owned companies. His background also includes a post as Vice President of finance for Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency in New York, and five years as a CPA with Ernst & Young.
Kirksey received a BBA in accounting from Texas Tech University and is a Texas native. Kirksey has served numerous charitable, and community organizations throughout his career and currently serves as Chair-elect on the Board of North Dallas Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Board of Trustees at St. John’s Episcopal School.
Ron Somers
Chairman
India Advisory Council
Ron Somers
Chairman
India Advisory Council
With 30 years’ on-the-ground-experience developing projects and business in India and across Asia, Ron Somers is the Principal and Founder of India First Group, LLC – which provides strategic consultancy to companies engaged in complex, cross-border commercial relationships with ties to India.
Earlier, for a full decade, Ron served as President of the Washington-based U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), building this organization to become the largest bilateral business association in the United States.
Prior to this, living in India for twelve consecutive years, Somers was the Chief Executive in India for energy giant Unocal Corporation, advancing oil/gas projects upstream and midstream. He cut his teeth in India’s energy sector developing the 1000 MW, $1bn Cogentrix Power Project in coastal Karnataka.
Ron’s entry to India was in 1992 as India’s economy liberalized, serving at the U.S. Embassy in Delhi as USAID’s Resident Advisor to India, where he developed and has maintained a network of high-level acquaintances and lasting friendships both inside and outside government.
Somers graduated with Honors at Middlebury College where he earned his master’s degree studying at Lincoln College, Oxford University.
Tom Scott
Advisor
President, Lewis and Clark Industrial
Tom Scott
Advisor
President, Lewis and Clark Industrial
Tom Scott is an accomplished professional with an effective result’s-oriented approach to business management. He successfully implements statistical process control technologies and lean manufacturing concepts to improve performance. A serial entrepreneur, Tom Scott, manages both single-site and multiple facility businesses with sales above $600 MM.
In 2004 Tom started Lewis & Clark Machinery Inc as an engineering-only company and grew the business into a fully functional OEM of forest Products machinery. The firm has also expanded into the installation phase of projects with full-cycle project management activities. As a result, Lewis & Clark has become a first choice for customers looking to move forest products operations across the states or international borders. The business has grown 20%/year since its inception and has sales in excess of $5 MM per year.
No stranger to developing and implementing capital plans to move businesses toward top quartile performance. While performing the role of Manufacturing Manager at Louisiana-Pacific Corp, Tom Scott, developed a strategic manufacturing plan which allowed the EWP business to grow at a 30% cumulative annual growth rate. Opening ten manufacturing facilities across Canada and the U.S., with retaining 1500 employees and sales in excess of $400 MM.