Advisory Council

Steve McBee

Steve is the founder and CEO of McBee Strategic Consulting, LLC, which provides bespoke advisory services, risk mitigation advice, and governmental advocacy on a national scale. McBee Strategic advises Fortune 100 companies, and under Steve’s leadership the Firm has become known for helping renewable energy and clean technology companies navigate Washington and the global capital markets. Steve is a recognized thought leader in Washington, on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley. A former Capitol Hill staff member, he has built a reputation for early identification of global trends in public policy. Hailed by Roll Call in 2009 as one of the most effective players in Washington, Steve has also been recognized as “Best in the Business” for three years running by influential Washington publication The Hill. He attended Western Washington University.

Advisory Council

Lawrence D. Burns

Larry joined the VantagePoint Advisory Council following an extensive career at General Motors. From May 1998 to October 2009, Larry served as Corporate Vice President of Research & Development and Planning/Strategic Planning, reporting directly to the CEO/President. There he helped expand GM R&D to a global organization and increased collaboration with universities, governments and energy companies. Previously, he held a wide range of leadership positions in GM operations, including industrial engineering, quality, production control, planning and product program management. Larry is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D.), the University of Michigan (MS, MPP) and General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) (BS) and co-author of Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century. He is currently a visiting research professor at the University of Michigan.

“CleanTech offers tremendous opportunity to stimulate sustainable economic growth and VantagePoint is making this opportunity real.”

—Lawrence D. Burns
Senior Advisor

Advisory Council

Bernie Bulkin

Bernie retired from his role as Chief Scientist at BP (British Petroleum) in 2003. He spent 18 years at BP and its predecessor The Standard Oil Company, holding various positions in technology and business, including Chief Technology Officer. As BP’s Vice President for Environmental Affairs, he developed BP’s clean fuels strategy and led BP’s strategy and action plan on climate change. He helped to develop BP’s thinking about sustainability, what it means in an extractive company, and the organizational demands of sustainability in a large company. Bernie is a Professorial Fellow at Cambridge University, serves as a Commissioner for Energy and Transport at the UK Sustainable Development Commission and has been the host of the Environment on the Edge talk radio series. Bernie was recently appointed as Chair of the Office of Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) in the United Kingdom.

“What I love about the Vantage Point approach is that it is thoughtful and strategic. Pick important areas, go after the big stuff, pick good partners, see it through.”

—Bernie Bulkin
Senior Advisor

Advisory Council

John Leggate

John was formerly the CIO of BP and a member of the BP Group Senior Leadership Team, where he was closely involved in the development of corporate policy on technology foresight, global environmental performance, and sustainability. John was honored as Commander, The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by the Queen in her 2004 New Year's Honour List in recognition of outstanding contribution and leadership to the international digital technology agenda. John is a graduate of Glasgow University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineering and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

“What sets VantagePoint apart is a track record of picking winning sectors and investments well ahead of the pack thereby converting bold and courageous ideas into strategic game changers for the world.”

—John Leggate
Senior Advisor