About US

Gordon Winston is a visionary energy and capital markets leader with a proven track record of scaling high-growth ventures at the nexus of technology, infrastructure, and finance. As Founder, Chairman and CEO of QGEMS Group, he is pioneering the Energy Cloud; an AI-native orchestration platform unifying distributed energy resources, EV systems, and grid-edge intelligence across the UK and global markets. Under his leadership, QGEMS has emerged as the digital backbone of the multi-trillion pound transition-finance economy, advancing mission-critical initiatives such as the UK Smart Energy Code, P415 peer-to-peer frameworks, and large-scale PPP decarbonisation programs.

Previously, as Co-Founder and Global Head of Funds at DRI Capital, Gordon built and led a portfolio scaling to more than $5 billion AUM, designing innovative royalty-finance and transition-capital vehicles that bridged institutional investors with high-growth asset classes. His experience structuring and deploying capital across complex financial and infrastructure ecosystems informs QGEMS’ model of energy as an investable digital asset. Blending deep financial engineering expertise with a transformative vision for the Internet of Energy, Gordon Winston unites capital discipline with technological foresight to industrialise clean energy intelligence at global scale.

Patrick J. Santos is General Counsel and strategic advisor at QGEMS Energy Ltd., providing specialist intellectual-property, systems-design and regulatory guidance. He began his career as a software engineer at Microsoft, working on Visual C++, the original Xbox and Windows XP teams, and is named as co-inventor on several Microsoft patents. He then served as a patent examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, specialising in cryptography, cybersecurity, and distributed-application systems.

With decades of experience in IP strategy, technology, and licensing, Patrick now supports QGEMS in aligning its system-level design, innovation pipeline, and patent portfolio to the company’s global growth and commercialisation agenda. His depth in IP creation and system architecture adds critical bench strength to the QGEMS leadership team, ensuring that the company’s technologies and orchestration frameworks are both protected and scalable across the Digital Energy Ecosystem.

Mark Thompson is a strategic technology architect with over two decades of experience designing and securing large-scale, cloud-native systems across defence, fintech, industrial IoT, and clean energy. A Chartered IT Professional and Certified Scrum Master, he combines deep technical expertise with disciplined engineering leadership to drive QGEMS’ innovation in secure, intelligent energy platforms.

At QGEMS, Mark leads architecture and engineering for AI-driven forecasting, distributed energy optimisation, and quantum-proof encryption—building the digital backbone for the next generation of resilient, data-secure energy systems. His work spans telematics for EV infrastructure, real-time energy orchestration, and zero-knowledge security frameworks for national-scale data networks.

Earlier in his career, Mark engineered encryption and communications systems for NATO and the U.S. military, establishing a foundation in mission-critical cybersecurity and network resilience. He later led transformation and security programmes for global enterprises in finance, pharmaceuticals, and industrial automation—modernising legacy systems into high-availability architectures across Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.

A former senior engineering leader at the UK’s largest financial software provider, Mark advanced global DevSecOps standards and cloud engineering maturity, achieving multi-year 100% uptime and zero vulnerabilities across successive audits. His career includes contributions to NATO, the United Nations, and UK Government, reflecting his enduring focus on secure, scalable, and intelligent infrastructure for critical industries.

Lynn Benway is a dynamic operational strategist and growth advisor with a proven track record in scaling companies, driving acquisitions, and optimising organizational performance. As Director of Operations at QGEMS, she brings decades of experience in enterprise transformation, M&A integration, and client success across both the private and nonprofit sectors.

Lynn previously served as CEO of Emergies, LLC, where she built a nationwide reseller network of 400+ partners to distribute cutting-edge data security technologies. She has advised Fortune 500 firms including Boeing, Motorola, State Farm, and NRG Energy on complex data and communications solutions, and played a pivotal role in enterprise rollouts for governance and risk management frameworks.

Her background spans senior leadership roles at LexisNexis and RLI Corp., as well as COO of WaterStreet Solutions, where she helped grow the company’s revenues by 2000%. Today, Lynn continues to advise on strategic acquisitions through Chirino Investment Group and mentors leaders through organizations such as The Prompting and Timeless Women of Africa (TILE) in Kenya.

Known for blending operational excellence with mission-driven leadership, Lynn is passionate about scaling innovation, empowering teams, and delivering lasting impact through resilient systems and strong partnerships.

Karlton D. Johnson (Colonel, United States Air Force-Retired) is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Space Society and Chairman of the Society’s Board of Governors. As the senior executive overseeing a variety of business operations and objectives, he shapes major strategic decisions regarding the NSS’s direction, leads the organization’s c-suite cadre, and steers the organization towards successful outcomes. In the latter capacity, he serves as the primary spokesperson for the Board of Governors, provides overall leadership to enhance board effectiveness and performance, and fosters board cooperation in support of the Society’s goals.

Johnson is a senior executive leader with over 36 years of subject matter experience in strategic leadership, partnership creation, mission assurance, and the development of emerging space markets. He brings extensive corporate board experience and has advised internationally to drive large-scale program initiatives from requirements to full implementation.

His distinguished career in the Air Force included senior leadership roles where he oversaw strategic operations and communications technologies essential to national security. In the private sector, Johnson is influential towards enabling the growth of space market expansion opportunities for Fortune 500 firms.  Additionally, he successfully engages with Congressional leaders to garner support for various space-related legislative initiatives and advocates for commercial and civil space programs, space traffic management, planetary defense, and space economic development advancements.

Johnson holds several advanced degrees and executive graduate certifications from reputable academic institutions and serves on numerous boards, including Microchip Technology Inc., AFCEA International’s Board of Directors, and Explore Mars Inc. Board of Advisors. He is the Chairman Emeritus of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body, Inc., the Department of Defense’s top program for digitally securing the $768 billion defense industrial base protecting 3.2 percent of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product and national security.

Courtney Curtsinger currently advises global family offices, where she assists on their curation of investment opportunities and business development of their operating and portfolio companies. Courtney is highly regarded for her extensive and influential network within the global family office ecosystem, including trusted relationships with family offices internationally. She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University (BA) and Cornell Johnson School of Management (MBA).  

“With AI fueling unprecedented energy demand, the world needs solutions that make power smarter, cleaner and more affordable. I joined the QGEMS Advisory Board because I believe in their vision to democratize energy access and improve our collective quality of life.”