Entrepreneur | Two-Time CEO | Technology & Consumer Products Leader | Adjunct MBA Professor

Edward Hughes is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of leadership experience spanning technology, consumer products, and sporting goods. A two-time CEO and successful entrepreneur, Edward now serves as a Partner and Coach at CEO Coaching International, where he helps growth-minded CEOs and entrepreneurs navigate complexity, accelerate performance, and scale their businesses.

Career Highlights

• Strategic Innovator: As Chairman & CEO of Aculon Inc., Edward transformed a pre-revenue specialty chemical startup into a global leader in surface modification technologies. Under his leadership, Aculon achieved broad market adoption across electronics, energy, medical, and industrial sectors.
  
  
• Entrepreneurial Trailblazer: Edward founded and led PowerMetal Technologies, a pioneering nanotechnology firm that forged strategic partnerships with major corporations, including a landmark collaboration with DuPont.
  
  
• Corporate Turnaround Specialist: At TaylorMade-adidas Golf and Maxfli Golf, Edward revitalized operations and marketing, significantly boosting profitability and brand strength. Earlier in his career, he drove high-impact M&A activity as Director of Strategy at The Pillsbury Company.

Academic & Community Engagement

Edward is an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Irvine, where he teaches General Management and Entrepreneurship in both the MBA and Executive MBA programs. He brings real-world insight into the classroom, blending academic rigor with decades of executive-level experience.

A passionate community leader, Edward is President of the Harvard Business School Club of San Diego and a board member of the San Diego Air & Space Museum. He lives in San Diego with his wife Dawn and is the proud father of two entrepreneurial children. An avid golfer, skier, and tennis player, he is also a licensed private pilot.

Education

Edward earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was recognized as a George F. Baker Scholar. He also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cambridge University, England.