MBO Interview Mr. Pedro Gomes Pereira, Mediterranean at Martifer Solar
MBO: The group Martifer Solar is currently present in more than twenty countries and is pursuing a worldwide expansion process. Could you introduce us to your company’s previous work and also to its plans for the future?
Mr. Pedro Gomes Pereira, Regional Manager for the Mediterranean at Martifer Solar
Biography: Born in Coimbra, Pedro Pereira was raised in Porto, where he graduated in Business Administration & Management at the Catholic University of Portugal. After completing his five-year degree in 1998 at the age of 23, he started working in Porto, as an IT consultant, for the company CPC-CG (currently Indra). In 2002 he decided to broaden his experience by joining an international group - SonaeIndústria - where he worked as Project Manager during the implementation (roll out) of a model of integrated supply chain in many premises of the group in Germany and France. After 7 years of professional experience, Pedro Pereira decided to interrupt his career to start a full-time MBA at the ESADE Business School in Barcelona. After the MBA, he embarked in a new experience in the Business Development area abroad, specifically in the renewable energy sector. He became part of Martifer Solar during the summer of 2007, a newly created company within Martifer group. Pedro Pereira was appointed as General Manager of Martifer Solar Srl, a company founded in Milan in January 2008 and dedicated to the development, construction, operation and maintenance of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants, which became operational in March of the same year. Since 2010, Pedro Pereira is the Managing Director for Italy and the Regional Manager for the Mediterranean Area, taking also part of the Board of Directors of the Greek and the Romanian subsidiaries. Since 2008, Pedro Pereira has participated in several PVsector conferences as speaker and moderator; hegaveseveral interviews to the media (TV, radio, newspapers and Internet) and has played an important role in lobbying not only through PV associations, but also directly with the media, mainly against the Renewable Energies regulatory framework changes approved by different Governments in the past years.
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Martifer Solar started up in 2006, but only became truly active in the PV market during the second half of 2007. It started to operate mainly in the Iberian market and completed about 38MW worth of installations in less than a year in the Spanish market. In 2008, it started to expand internationally and began working in Italy, Belgium and Greece. From that time onwards, the company also entered several other markets, mainly in Europe, but also some in America, Asia and Africa. All of this new business was based on its reputation of sound financial capability and on its track record in the renewable energy sector. At the present time, Martifer Solar has installed more than 200MW worldwide, and has accessed more than 20 countries spreading over four continents. In 2011 it was ranked as being in the top 10 worldwide, on the basis of its installed capacity. Such exponential growth, translated into operational revenue, was worth 293€ million in 2011, and represented more than 50% of the Martifer Group’s total turnover. Currently, the company’s goal is to consolidate its presence in most of the markets where it already has a presence, but it would also like to continue with its international expansion worldwide. The company is particularly interested in taking on new markets such as the Middle East, South America and Asia.
MBO: Why did you choose Montenegro recently as a destination? Our relations with Montenegro started as a result of an invitation by MIPA to be part of an international delegation of potential investors in Montenegro. We were pleased to see that great effort had been put into our visit and that the approach made to us by MIPA and by the Government was direct and straight forward. There was a clear aim to bring investment into the country in a variety of areas and this included the area of renewable energy. Encouraged by a very close relationship between the Government and potential foreign investors, we realized that it would be possible for us to play an important role in the market; namely that we would bring to the country our knowledge, whilst simultaneously adding significant value to the existing infrastructure in the energy field. At this moment we deem Montenegro to be a market with high potential and are fully committed to adding solar photovoltaic to the current energy-mix, under what we consider to be a win-win relationship for all involved parties. We definitely look forward to starting our first project in the country and are working closely with MIPA and with the Minister of Economy in order to achieve this goal in the near future.
MBO: What do you expect to gain from this market? In what way you plan to achieve your goals? Despite Montenegro’s small size, we have identified several advantages which may result in it becoming an international case study for solar energy production and for sustainability policies in the area of renewable energy. The number of sunny hours for the greatest part of Montenegro averages above 2000h/year. In coastal areas this figure reaches up to 2500h/year. Such high potential, in terms of solar radiation, is present and must be used. At this moment, there is also a political will to diversify the current mix of renewable energy types and to improve the current regulatory framework. Moving forward from the above favorable context, we believe that we could combine these conditions to become successful pioneers in bringing solar energy to Montenegro; not only based on our international experience in this field, but also on our commitment to transferring our knowledge to the country. This would enable Montenegro to continue developing this industry in a sustainable way in the future.