Our Company
Management Team
An experienced team of professionals leads Canadian Solar with extensive business and technology experience in the solar and silicon industry.
Executive Team
Shawn (Xiaohua) Qu [download bio]
Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Dr. Shawn (Xiaohua) Qu has served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer since founding Canadian Solar in October 2001. Prior to joining Canadian Solar, Dr. Qu worked at Automation Tooling Systems (ATS) Inc. from 1998 to 2001, where he performed various duties at both ATS and at its subsidiaries in the solar power business, Matrix and Photowatt International S.A.. He acted as a Research Scientist, Director of Silicon Procurement, Director of Solar Products, Strategic Planning and Business Development, and Technical Vice President (Asia Pacific) of Photowatt International S.A. From 1996 to 1998, Dr. Qu was a research scientist at Ontario Power Generation Corp. (formerly Ontario Hydro), where he worked as a process leader in the development of Sphere Solar™ technology, a next-generation solar technology. Prior to joining Ontario Hydro, Dr. Qu was a post-doctorate research fellow at the University of Toronto focusing on semiconductor optical devices and solar cells. He has published research articles in academic journals such as IEEE Quantum Electronics, Applied Physics Letters and Physical Review. Dr. Qu received a Ph.D. degree in material science from the University of Toronto in 1995, a M.Sc. degree in physics from University of Manitoba in 1990 and a B.Sc. in applied physics from Singh University (Beijing, China) in 1986.
Arthur Chien [download bio]
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Arthur Chien was an Independent Director of Canadian Solar from December 2005 until September 2007, when he then assumed the role of Vice-President of Finance until June 2008. Since June 2008 Arthur has become a board of director and Chief Financial Officer of Canadian Solar Inc. Before joining Canadian Solar, he was the managing director of Beijing Yinke Investment Consulting Co. Ltd., a company which provides financial consulting services and manages its own investment projects. Before joining Beijing Yankee, he was Chief Financial Officer of China Grand Enterprises Inc., a diversified investment holding company based in Beijing, China. Prior to that, he held a variety of finance, investment and management positions with companies in Canada, Belgium and China, acting as Chief Financial Officer of the Chinese operations of NV Bekaert SA, a Belgium-based manufacturer of advanced wire products, materials and coatings. Mr. Chien holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Science and Technology of China and a Master of Economics degree from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Mr. Gregory Spanoudakis [download bio]
President of European Operations
Mr. Gregory Spanoudakis is the President of European Operations for Canadian Solar Inc. Prior to that, he had been our Vice President for International Sales and Marketing from January 2002 to September 2008. Mr. Spanoudakis has been involved in the semiconductor and solar power industries for the past 21 years, the last 9 years of which have been in the solar power industry. He was a Senior Executive with Future Electronics, one of the world’s largest distributors of semiconductor components, where he headed the International Division and the Export Development program from November 1988 to May 1999. Mr. Spanoudakis attended The University of Essex, in Colchester, England and the Sir George William University (now Concordia University) in Montreal, Canada graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business in 1981. In 1987, he received his MBA degree with a focus on International Business Development from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.
Yan Zhuang [download bio]
Corporate Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing
An internationally renowned business and marketing executive, Yan Zhuang became the Corporate Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing of Canadian Solar in June 2009. He has served as an independent director since September 2007. Today Zhuang oversees Canadian Solar’s global sales and has helped build its global brand recognition for the company. He also serves on the board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees.
Prior to joining Canadian Solar, Zhuang led corporate branding, sales and marketing initiatives with leadership positions in multinational companies. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President Business Operations and Marketing, Asia Region, of Hands-on Mobile Ltd., a global media and entertainment company with Asian operations in China, Korea and India. Before joining Hands-on Mobile, he held leadership roles with Motorola Inc., including as Director of Marketing, Planning and Consumer insight for the Asia Pacific Region.
Zhuang holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree from Northern Jiao-Tong University, China, a MSc in Applied Statistics from the University of Alberta, Canada and a MSc in Marketing Management from the University of Guelph, Canada.