Commonwealth Fusion Systems Names Christopher P. Liddell to Board of Directors
DEVENS, Mass. (August 6, 2025) — Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the largest private fusion company, today announced that Christopher P. Liddell, a former White House official who has also served in top roles at global corporations including Microsoft Corp. and General Motors Co., has joined the Board of Directors as an independent board member.
“With his career of leadership positions spanning the public, private, and philanthropic sectors, Chris Liddell will help CFS as we enter our next phase of growth. We'll benefit from his experience in building dynamic organizations that have a variety of stakeholders and are at the intersection of technology, finance, and geostrategy,” said Bob Mumgaard, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder. “Fusion is poised to become a vital part of the global energy sector, offering new opportunities for energy independence and security. We look forward to having Chris’s expertise and counsel as CFS takes an expansive role in leading the growing fusion industry.”
Liddell joins a CFS Board of Directors that includes Mumgaard, a long-time leader in fusion; Brandon Sorbom, Chief Science Officer, Co-founder and first author of the ARC paper; Alan Eustace, who served as Senior Vice President of Engineering and First Senior Vice President for Knowledge at Google; Katie Rae, Managing Director of The Engine Ventures, a leading deep-tech firm; and Clara Andretti, an energy executive and Managing Partner of Eni Next, the venture arm of the Italian energy company Eni.
Liddell, 67, offers four decades of corporate experience, having served as Chief Financial Officer at both Microsoft and International Paper Co., as well as Vice Chairman and CFO at General Motors, where he oversaw the company’s $23 billion public offering in 2010 — the largest in history at the time.
In the public sector, Liddell was an Assistant to the President during the first Trump administration. He has also served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Director of the American Technology Council. He’s the author of “Year Zero,” a book that outlines a strategic approach to planning and building a more effective White House.
Liddell is a dual citizen of the United States and New Zealand and holds a bachelor of engineering degree from the University of Auckland and a master of philosophy degree from the University of Oxford.
“I am a great believer in fusion and am excited to be a part of CFS as the company leads the commercialization of this vital power source in the next few years,” Liddell said. “CFS is advancing this technology before our very eyes and is unlocking a new form of safe and clean energy that promises to meet near insatiable demand in the United States and worldwide.”
About Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Commonwealth Fusion Systems is the world’s leading and largest private fusion company. The company’s marquee fusion project, SPARC, will generate net energy, paving the way for limitless carbon-free energy. The company has raised more than $2 billion in capital since it was founded in 2018.
Media contacts:
Commonwealth Fusion Systems press@cfs.energy