CO SPONSORS
Solar Quarter is happy to come out with an exclusive special feature of Top Middle East Solar Leaders 2021. Here are the names of the most powerful Middle East solar personalities in 2021 who have contributed immensely to the solar energy industry and have made a mark for themselves. SolarQuarter recognizes their contributions and congratulates each one of these achievers for their roles in sustainable development."
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Dr Khalid bin Saleh Al Sultan PRESIDENT
H.E. Shaikh Nawaf Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa
Faisal A. Alyemni
King Abdullah Atomic and Renewable Energy City (KACARE)
MINISTER
HEAD
Electricity and Water Authority (EWA)
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jordan
Head of Renewable Energy Ministry of Energy, KSA
Ali Akbar Mehrabian
Dr. Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi
HE Mr Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi
H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei
Minister of State for Energy Affairs Qatar
Minister of Energy UAE
MINISTER OF ELECTRICITY
Ministry of Electricity of the Republic of Iraq
CEO
Her Excellency Hala Adel Zawati
Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Egypt
Dr Mohammed Al Rumhi
Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al Midfa
Minister of Energy and Minerals Sultanate of Oman
CHAIRMAN
MESIA
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)
Ademola Adesina
Ammar Zidan
Antonio Valentin Diaz
Ayman Rasekh
FOUNDER AND CEO
FOUNDING PARTNER & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Head of Projects Delivery – Middle East, EDF Renewables
CHAIRMAN AND CEO
Rensource Energy
Middle East
The Contractor for Energy Co
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer
Qasim Al-Fahadawi
MD AND CEO
Ministry of Electricity of the Republic of Iraq
SOLARSOL EG
ME
SOLAR LEADERS
MIDDLE EAST
2021
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
CO SPONSORS
Cornelius Matthes
Daniel Calderon
Dennis She
Daniel Zywietz
SVP, GLOBAL SALES & MARKETING
FOUNDER & CEO
CEO
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Dii Desert Energy
Alcazar Energy
Dr. Firas Balasmeh
Dr. Shawn Qu
CO - FOUNDER AND CEO
CHAIRMAN AND CEO
FB Group
Felice Granisso Founder and CEO
Tek Solar
Canadian Solar Inc.
Frank Gallardo
Eng Mohammed Al Taani
GENERAL MANAGER
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Izzat Marji Group
Hanna Zaghloul
Jamal Wadi
HEAD OF RENEWABLES
Larsen & Toubro
CEO
Kamil Sayour
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
CHAIRMAN & CEO
MANAGING PARTNER
Acciona
CEO
Kawar Energy
José Manuel Entrecanales Domecq
Middle East
Fadi Marji
Secretary General of the Arab Renewable Energy Commission & Vice Chairman of the Jordanian Renewables Energy Society
Jeremy Crane Yellow Door Energy
Enerwhere
LONGi Solar
Alfanar
Karel De Winter CO-FOUNDER
Solera
Quanta Energy
ME
SOLAR LEADERS
MIDDLE EAST
2021
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CO SPONSORS
Karim Megherbi
Laurent Longuet
L K Verma
FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR
SirajPower
CEO
MANAGING DIRECTOR
EPDA
CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR
Power n Sun
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi
Martin Haupts
Manoj Divakaran Empereal Ruby Energy and Innovations
Mostafa AlGuezeri
Nour Mousa
CEO
CEO
MANAGING DIRECTOR
FOUNDER AND CEO
Phanes Group
Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company)
Hitachi ABB Power Grids
Desert Technologies (DT)
Ofer Yannay
Omar Al Kasasbeh
Paddy Padmanathan
Raymond Carlsen
CHAIRMAN
RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTION HEAD
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ACWA Power
Scatec
Nofar Energy
Samra Electric Power Company (SEPCO)
Tania Jarjur
Shimmy Belikoff
Shukri Halaby
Sushant Arora
VP ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS
COO
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
GENERAL COUNSEL
Mustakbal Cleantech
CleanMax Solar
Yellow Door Energy
Meshek Energy
Turki Alshehri
Wail Bamhair
CEO
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ENGIE
Middle East
TAQNIA ENERGY
Yogesh Bhardwaj MANAGING DIRECTOR
CHINT SOLAR
ME
SOLAR LEADERS
MIDDLE EAST
2021
CO SPONSORS
Dr Khalid bin Saleh Al Sultan PRESIDENT KING ABDULLAH ATOMIC AND RENEWABLE ENERGY CITY (KACARE)
Dr. Khalid bin Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Sultan was assigned as Chairman of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy on the rank of Minister under the Royal Decree. Dr. Khalid holds a bachelor's and master's degree in System Engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum & Minerals, and holds a PhD degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan in the United States of America. Prior to his appointment as Chairman of K.A.CARE, he held the following positions: Dean of the Faculty of Computer Engineering at King Fahad University of Petroleum & Minerals; Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Higher Education for Educational Affairs; Director of Hail University; Director of King Fahad University of Petroleum & Minerals. His Excellency currently supervises King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy(KACARE) as the President.
Middle East
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H.E. Shaikh Nawaf Bin Ibrahim AlKhalifa CEO ELECTRICITY AND WATER AUTHORITY (EWA)
H.E. Shaikh Nawaf Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa is the CEO of Electricity and Water Authority (EWA). Under his leadership, the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), are keen to provide electricity and water services at the highest level of quality and reliability to ensure sustainable development in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and to become a leading model for providing electricity and water services. The Electricity and Water Authority strongly believes that both indispensable electricity and water are strong supporting pillars of any civilizational economic development, as witnessed at the Kingdom’s growing urban developments and state-of-the-art industrial and residential fields.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 05
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Her Excellency Hala Adel Zawati MINISTER OF ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES, JORDAN
Her Excellency Hala Adel Zawati is the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jordan. She previously held the position of Executive Director of the Edama Association for Energy, Water and Environment, and also held the position of Executive Director of the Advanced Computer Services Company. Zawati worked as a consultant on energy affairs for several Jordanian companies and for the King Abdullah II Fund for Development. She also provided many consultations on energy affairs to the House of Representatives. Zawati is a consultant to several programs of the American Development Agency, the German Development Agency, the Japanese Development Agency, the European Union and the United Nations Development Program. A founding member of the Edama Association for Energy, Water and Environment, a member of the Board of Directors of the Amman Stock Exchange, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Elia Nuqul Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Giving and Giving and the Jordanian Women’s Development Association. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Jordan in 1987 and Senior Management from Universidad de Empresa in Madrid in 2007, in addition to a Certificate in Leadership and Development from Harvard University, holder of an Eisenhower Fellowship.
Faisal A. Alyemni HEAD OF RENEWABLE ENERGY MINISTRY OF ENERGY, KSA
Faisal A. Alyemni is the Head of Renewable Energy at the Ministry of Energy, KSA. He is a performance based Leader, Business Developer, and Engineer with 15+ years of proven track record in the Energy & Power sectors as a commercial lead and technical SME in three of the largest integrated energy companies in the world (Saudi Aramco, Showa Shell and Schlumberger). Faisal A. Alyemni is an experienced hands-on leader, managing large multi-discipline teams & CSuite/Board level relationships. He is extremely result oriented as a commercial negotiator. He has co-led an international transaction for Saudi Aramco.
Middle East
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Ali Akbar Mehrabian MINISTER OF ENERGY, IRAN
Ali Akbar Mehrabian, an Iranian politician is the current Minister of Energy. He has been the minister of industries and mines from 2007 to 2011. Mehrabi studied at Shiraz University and Tehran university. He obtained his master degree in economic science from Tehran University.
Dr. Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi MINISTER OF ELECTRICITY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY EGYPT
Dr. Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi is the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy – Egypt since 2014. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Electromechanical Consulting Engineering firm: "SHAKER Consulting Group" since 1982, and its subsidiaries in many Arab and African Countries. He is an electrical Consulting Professional Engineer with a track record of over 1500 projects in Egypt, Arabian Gulf countries & Africa, during over 40 years of engineering practice. He is also the Chairman of the Consulting Engineers Qualifying Board – Egyptian Engineering syndicate and Chairman of the "Egyptian Fire Protection Association" (EFPA). He has been a Board member of the different organizations at different periods. The organisations include Energy Research Center – Faculty ofEngineering, Cairo University, Electrical Code Committee – Housing and Building National Research Center – Egypt, New Urban Communities Authority – Ministry of Housing Utilities and Urban Communities, Egypt, Egyptian Railway Authority – Ministry of Transport, Egyptian Metro Operation and Management Company – Ministry of Transport. He is the Chairman of the Egyptian Construction Export Council – Ministry of Industry and Trade and Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Consulting Engineers Forum, Egyptian Engineering Syndicate, Egyptian – Japanese Businessman Council, Gezira Sporting Club, Cairo – Egypt.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 06
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HE Mr Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENERGY AFFAIRS QATAR
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In 2018, His Excellency Mr Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs was also appointed Deputy Chairman of Qatar Petroleum, in addition to his current role as President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum. Previously, His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs worked as the Managing Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Petroleum in September 2014. Between 2006 and 2014, he was the Director of Qatar Petroleum’s Oil & Gas Ventures Directorate, where he oversaw all of Qatar’s oil and gas field
developments as well as all the exploration activities in Qatar. Between 1991 and 2006, His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs was part of Qatar Petroleum’s Reservoir & Field Development Department, where he later became the Manager of Gas Development, responsible for North Field management and development. Currently, he leads and takes charge of Energy Affairs has overall responsibility for all energy issues, including: Optimal utilisation of the country’s natural resources as per relevant laws; Regular and sustainable supply of energy, power and water for domestic need and regular review of potential and viable alternatives to secure such needs; Overall policy of and development of national industries.
H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei MINISTER OF ENERGY UAE
H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei has held the position of the Minister of Energy since March 2013 before the Ministry turning in the Ministerial Formation of 2017 into the Ministry of Energy and Industry. H.E. Al Mazrouei is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Etihad Water and Electricity, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Emirates General Petroleum Corporation, Member of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company ADNOC and Mubadala Investment Company, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of: (Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, Nawah Energy Company, Barakah One Company), and Member of the Board of Directors of Dolphin Energy. He has considerable experience in corporate administration in different sectors, including ship building, defense systems, oil and gas services sector and real estate development. H.E Suhail Al Mazrouei graduated in 1996 from the University of Tulsa in the United States of America with a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering.
Middle East
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 07
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ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer MD AND CEO DUBAI ELECTRICITY AND WATER AUTHORITY (DEWA)
Dr Mohammed Al Rumhi
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer is the MD and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and has a total overall experience of more than 34 years in the field of telecommunications, energy, water, infrastructure, oil, gas and industry. Under his leadership since 1992, DEWA has achieved unprecedented successes and has become one of the very best distinguished utilities in all aspects world-wide. DEWA works within the main three themes of the fourth generation of government excellence system, as a reference for all of its government excellence programmes, to make people happy. DEWA’s vision is to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility.
MINISTER OF ENERGY AND MINERALS SULTANATE OF OMAN
Dr Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhi is the current Minister of Energy and Minerals in the Sultanate of Oman and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Petroleum Development Oman. He has been the Minister of Oil and Gas since December 1997, which is an evidence of how highly regarded and respected he is in his role.
Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al Midfa
Qasim Al-Fahadawi MINISTER OF ELECTRICITY MINISTRY OF ELECTRICITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ
Qasim Mohammad Abid Hammadi al-Fahadawi is an Iraqi politician and businessman who is the current Minister of Electricity in the Al Abadi Government. He previously served as the Governor of Anbar from April 2009 to August 2013. He was appointed to the government in 2014.
CHAIRMAN MESIA
Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al Midfa is the Vice Chairperson of the Emirates Environmental Group. His previous roles include CEO of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority, General Management positions at the Ministry of Environment in Qatar, and the National Evion Research Centre in Abu Dhabi where he was Head of International relations. Mr. Al Midfa continues to serve as a Board Member and Executive Committee Member of the Emirates Wildlife Society in the UAE and the Emirates Environmental Group, and Chairman of the Emirates Solar Industry Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science from the Western Oregan State University in the USA, and completed his Masters Degree from the UAE University.
Middle East
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 08
CO SPONSORS
Ademola Adesina FOUNDER AND CEO RENSOURCE ENERGY
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Ademola Adesina is Founder and CEO of Rensource, a leading West African off-grid energy provider. Working with entrepreneurial management teams in challenging operating environments, Ademola has focused on building or turning around early and growth stage enterprises for much of his career. Beginning in 2007 on matters related to Africa, an East African agricultural concern, and subsequently Automatiks, a California based integrator of hybrid power solutions targeted at poor-grid environments globally, AST, a
leading provider of Power-as-a-Service in India, and Pagatech, a Nigerian mobile payments company, Ademola was Entrepreneur in Residence for Capricorn Investment Group, the Palo Alto based investment arm of Jeff Skoll and the Skoll Foundation. In the last fiscal year, the company constructed the largest Solar project for a Poultry in Nigeria (700 KWp).
Ammar Zidan FOUNDING PARTNER & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR THE CONTRACTOR FOR ENERGY CO
Ammar is an experienced Director Of Operations with a demonstrated history of working in the renewables and environment industry. As a decision-maker and a skilled specialist in implementing new ideas in Solar energy (Photovoltaic Systems) & energy economics, with a professional team, his company ‘The Contractor for Energy Co’ is providing integrated turnkey projects and consultancy services in the Green energy Field. Ammar is skilled in Market Research, business development and Contract Management, Business Process Reengineering, and Renewable Energy field. He is a strong operations professional with a Bachelor's degree focused in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering from the University of Jordan.
Middle East
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 09
CO SPONSORS
Antonio Valentin Diaz HEAD OF PROJECTS DELIVERY – MIDDLE EAST, EDF RENEWABLES
Antonio has over 16 years of professional experience in project execution and delivery of large solar energyprojects in different countries such as Spain, South Africa, Kuwait and the United Arabs Emirates, particularly with PV and Concentrated Solar Power IPP Projects. His expertise is into project execution and project delivery ensuring full compliance with the Power Purchase Agreements. Antonio is the representative of EDF-R’s Industry Division with regard to technical and construction activities for the ME regional project portfolio. He manages the engineering, construction, and commissioning phases, the establishment and management of the relationship with the suppliers/contractors ensuring that all works are carried out complying with the provisions of the contracts, international codes, regulations and EDF Renewable internal policies. Recently, he has led the execution of Al Dhafra PC Project in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah PV project in KSA.
Ayman Rasekh CHAIRMAN AND CEO SOLARSOL EG
Ayman is an accomplished executive with domestic and international experience in operations, P&L oversight, multichannel product distribution, marketing involving both startup and growth organizations. He is a results oriented, decisive leader with proven success in new market identification and strategic positioning for multi-million dollar solar energy and sustainable organizations. Ayman is an energy efficiency and sustainable products expert, with a wide range of knowledge in the PV solar systems industry. He is responsible for the successful delivery of numerous residential, commercial and Facilities projects through the use of various project delivery methods, and has received many business and management accolades.
Middle East
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Cornelius Matthes CEO DII DESERT ENERGY
As the CEO at Dii Desert Energy, Cornelius has made it his mission to drive the energy transition forward and pioneer the field of energy from the desert, leading the world to 100% renewables! In 2015, he won the "Solar Pioneer 2015", a prestigious award given to outstanding entrepreneurs who help to expand solar power in the Middle East. Cornelius is also regularly speaking and lecturing at universities and conferences around the world to educate people on the topic of green energy. He has also led and co-authored the creation of groundbreaking reports about green hydrogen and emission free technologies such as the Dii / FES (Friedrich Ebert Stiftung) Green Hydrogen report or the Battery Storage report together with Arthur D. Little. In the past years he has acted as a board member in over 10 companies and organisations. He also got experience as a board member of companies within the Deutsche Bank Group. Cornelius is always open to supporting startups and larger companies with his knowledge and experience in the field of emission free technologies.
Daniel Calderon CO-FOUNDER AND CEO ALCAZAR ENERGY
Daniel is the Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer of Alcazar Energy. Daniel holds degrees in Industrial Engineering & Finance from University of Massachusetts at Amherst (CumLaude) and an MBA from London Business School. Prior to founding Alcazar, he worked at Masdar as the Head of Origination & Investment Management for 5 years during which Masdar invested c.a. USD 7bn in wind and solar projects. He has also worked with General Electric previously for 10 years in various M&A and Principal Investments roles. Daniel has developed several GW of renewable energy projects including the first and second utility scale wind farms in the Middle East. Two of the first solar PV plants in the UAE as well as in Jordan, the first solar CSP plant in the Middle East, the world’s first CSP Tower project with salt storage and the world’s largest off-shore wind farm as of 2014.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 10
CO SPONSORS
Dennis She SVP, GLOBAL SALES & MARKETING LONGi Solar
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Dennis is a highly experienced professional with 15+ years in the solar PV industry. With his expertise in the field, he is significantly propelling the energy transformation. He has been spearheading LONGi Solar as Senior VP of Global Sales and Marketing since June 2019. Before joining LONGi, he was leading ET Solar Group as the CEO. Dennis has completed his masters from Maastricht School of Management and has also attended the leadership program from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Daniel Zywietz FOUNDER & CEO ENERWHERE
Daniel is the Founder and CEO of Enerwhere, which is the world's first distributed solar utility company and leading supplier of temporary power & cooling to commercial- & industrial customers without a stable grid connection. He has over a decade of experience in management consulting, financial services & entrepreneurship in Europe and the Middle East, with a focus on utilities, renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainability topics. Daniel is the coauthor of several studies on the potential for large-scale deployment of renewable energy in Europe and the Middle East, and a regular public speaker on renewable energy & financing topics.
Middle East
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 11
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Dr. Firas Balasmeh CO - FOUNDER AND CEO FB GROUP
Dr. Firas has over 23 years of diversified professional experience in the field of Renewable Energy; power & energy solutions; building Services and Facility Management systems for commercial, industrial and institutional construction as well as automation & control, hydrometric & environmental, process & instrumentation and Education & Training Systems. Dr. Firas has an entrepreneurial spirit and is well versed in local and regional markets. Through positions of increasing responsibility he has gained invaluable strengths to quality performance, has built a firm foundation in a broad range of business and technical areas. He is a result oriented decision maker with hands-on experience in a wide range of technical areas.
Eng Mohammed Al Taani SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARAB RENEWABLE ENERGY COMMISSION & VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JORDANIAN RENEWABLES ENERGY SOCIETY
Dr. Shawn Qu CHAIRMAN AND CEO CANADIAN SOLAR INC.
Dr. Shawn Qu is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar and has held these positions since founding the company in 2001. He founded the company with a bold mission: to foster sustainable development and to create a better and cleaner earth for future generations by bringing electricity powered by the sun to millions of people worldwide. Through his leadership Canadian Solar became a publicly listed company on NASDAQ in 2006 and has since firmly established itself among one of the world's largest solar power companies. Canadian Solar currently has around 22.2 GW of solar projects and 19 GWh of storage projects in pipeline, and are uniquely positioned to provide project development and complete turnkey solar solutions.
Middle East
Eng. Mohammed Al Ta'ani is the general manager of Jordanian Renewable Energy Society (JRES) & Secretary General of Arab Renewable Energy Commission (AREC). He is also the founder of both JRES and AREC. He is the Chairman of the Jordanian Smart Cities association. He has been working in the field of Renewable Energy since 1988 (Solar PV &Green Building) as Project manager and researcher and published more than 25 papers. From 1999-2007 he was the project manager for the Renewable energy in King Abdullah the Second Design & Development Bureau (KADDB). In 2002 he was the Project manager for the Jordanian Solar Car & Zero fossil Fuel House (Eco House for KADDB) Project manager. He was the Vice Director of Energy Center in Jordan University from 2007 until 2008 where he was working as the founder of this center. He was the founder of the Global Net for Renewable Energy in the Desert regions (GNREADER). Also now he is Chairman of Renewable energy committee in Jordan Institution for Standards & Meteorology , Ambassador of the DONG energy solar challenge events in the middle-east countries (World Cup for Solar Powered Boats).He is a member in the board of directors of renewable energy center in Philadelphia university. Along with these achievements, he is the founder of green generation and Green schools in Arab countries starting from Jordan; Technical advisor for the Arabian Green Energy Company; Founder of the Jordanian smart Cities; Founder of the smart Arab cities initiative for sustainability; Founder of the Jordanian smart Cities society; Founder of the 9g concept for sustainability for green generation together with green schools (green education) which will lead to green culture for modern world with positive habits for water, energy, food and clean environment.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 12
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Fadi Marji GENERAL MANAGER RENEWABLE ENERGY & ENERGY EFFICIENCY IZZAT MARJI GROUP
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Fadi is a Jordanian expert in HVAC Systems, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Solutions. He holds a Master’s degree with a certificate of honor in Renewable Energy “MBA Renewables” from Beuth University of Applied Sciences in Berlin Germany since 2015, that is in addition to his Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Jordan since 1993. Fadi has more than 23 years of technical and management experience in Izzat Marji Group, which is considered as a leading provider of HVAC Systems, Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Solutions in Jordan and the Middle East.
He was previously the General Manager of IMG Solar Company located in UAE, and the General Manager of WAMEST Solar Company located in KSA. He is certified from the US Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) as Renewable Energy Professional (REP®), Certified Energy Manager (CEM®) and Certified Energy Auditor (CEA®), as well as Certified Measurement & Verification Professional (CMVP®) issued by AEE and EVO (Efficiency Valuation Organization). He is also certified as Official Instructor for REP®, CEA®, and CMVP® programs. In addition, Fadi has been very active in the local and regional renewable energy and energy efficiency communities, and has contributed in conducting many successful seminars, workshops and presentations in these fields.
Felice Granisso FOUNDER AND CEO TEK SOLAR
Felice Granisso is the founder and CEO of Tek Solar which is a part of TEA TEK Group that operates since 2009 in the water sector, renewables energy and industrial automation. The group is specialised in Solar Sector, working as Main Contractor or Subcontractor in the construction of big Grid Connected plants. The companies, with almost 500 employees, have at their disposal a patrimony of technical skills as to be able to operate at all stages of the plant realization, from design to commissioning. Under Felice’s expert leadership, the company’s mission is to provide turn-key solutions for the construction of technological systems such as Telecommunications, Automation and Renewable Energy.
Middle East
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 13
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Hanna Zaghloul CEO KAWAR ENERGY
Frank Gallardo HEAD OF RENEWABLES LARSEN & TOUBRO
Frank has been delivering dynamic and inspirational Management to medium and large international Power Generation companies over the past 19 years. His passion for transforming organizational cultures and the people within those organizations has met with many successes in the Energy Generation sector. Having spent time in Europe, the Middle East and Central America gives Francisco the advantage of being highly culturally aware. This awareness, combined with considerable empathy and a strong focus on outcomes and achievements, allows Francisco to empower people and teams to perform at a higher level, creating sustainable and high-performing cultures. He is a resultsoriented world class executive with a broad business background within the energy generation sector. His specialties include Renewable energy, international management, consolidation and restructuring, growth, projects execution, concentrated solar power plants (CSP), photovoltaic power plants (PV), cogeneration power plants and grant projects.
Middle East
Since 2008 Hanna Zaghloul has been the Chief Executive Officer at Kawar Energy. Mr. Zaghloul directly leads many projects in renewable energy including the development of ’Shams Ma’an’ a 52.5-megawatt photovoltaic (solar energy) project at the southern part of Jordan. He is a founding and ex-board member/ vice chairman of EDAMA initiative and business association, which is Jordan’s blueprint for a green economy. He is also a founding member and ex-President for the Jordan Energy Chapter, JEC, representing the Association of Energy Engineers, AEE, in Jordan. In addition, Mr. Zaghloul has over 20 years of experience and strong involvement in the Jordanian Information and Communication Technologies, ICT, field during which he headed several IT companies involved in software development, infrastructure, storage, communications, training and consulting. Currently he is a board member of several IT and Energy companies.
Jamal Wadi CEO ALFANAR
Jamal is the CEO of Alfanar. The company alfanar is primarily engaged in manufacturing electrical construction products, EPC solutions for conventional and renewable power plants, allied engineering services and design engineering. The company has built up an international presence throughout much of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 14
CO SPONSORS
Jeremy Crane CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
José Manuel Entrecanales Domecq
YELLOW DOOR ENERGY
CHAIRMAN & CEO ACCIONA
Jeremy Crane has been leading the global energy transition for 20 years. He founded Yellow Door Energy in 2015 to combine his energy expertise with his passion for supporting businesses in emerging markets. He is currently helping businesses reduce energy costs, increase energy reliability, while lowering their environmental footprint. Under Jeremy’s leadership, Yellow Door Energy rapidly became the leading distributed solar developer in MEA, with over 120 megawatts of solar assets in the UAE, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. The company’s prestigious shareholders include the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank), Mitsui, Equinor, and APICORP. Jeremy’s passion for renewable energy was fueled by his experience working on wind farms and power plants in the United States and Central America. He further honed his solar experience by starting a business that developed $40 million worth of rooftop solar projects in Canada. He also developed, financed and commissioned $250 million of utility-scale solar in Europe and Asia for a private equity company. This year, he was featured on the cover of Utilities Middle East as one of the top utilities leaders in the region; was the winner of Solar Entrepreneur of the Year Award, voted by MESIA; negotiated and helped to secure $31.2 million in funding from leading banks – part of the executive team that negotiated contracts with international banks to finance solar projects in Jordan; negotiated and helped to secure $50 million in funding from APICORP – part of the executive team that negotiated the contract to secure funding from APICORP to finance solar projects in the Middle East. As an industry thought leader, Jeremy regularly speaks at conferences and leading media outlets to raise the profile of the clean energy industry and share in-depth renewable energy insights. Jeremy is a mechanical engineer by training, having graduated from the University of Waterloo in Canada. He completed his MBA from INSEAD in Paris, France.
Middle East
Jose Manuel Entrecanales has been Chairman and CEO of ACCIONA since 2004. Mr. Entrecanales is actively engaged in some of the leading public-private initiatives supporting sustainable development and the fight against climate change, including United Nations Global Compact, the World Bank’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, the World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders Group and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. He is Chairman of both acciona.org, dedicated to promoting universal access to water and energy, and of the José Manuel Entrecanales Foundation for Innovation in Sustainability.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 15
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ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Kamil Sayour MANAGING PARTNER SOLERA
Kamil holds a Bachelor of Science in electronics engineering from the American University in Cairo and deepened his specialization at the University of California in San Diego. He worked with IBM on developing cutting-edge automotive technology and later with McKinsey&Company on strategy and operations projects for diverse industries. Since cofounding Solera in 2013, he has focused on developing energy access which took Solera to the edge of innovation in frontier rural Africa with the creation of solar energy services hubs and simultaneously to the heart of one of the most traditional sectors in Egypt, electro-mechanical contracting.
Karim Megherbi FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR EPDA
Karel De Winter CO-FOUNDER QUANTA ENERGY
Mr. Karel De Winter has been involved in the Solar business in the UAE since 2008, making him an early pioneer in this field. He is currently active as cofounder of Quanta Energy, a Solar Lease company that extends competitive and pragmatic solar lease offerings to SMEs in Dubai and East Africa. He is also the co-founder & commercial manager of Hy-Energie FZ, a company specialized in bringing Solar & Hybrid Solutions to various clients with a specific focus on diesel replacement in the agricultural sectors. He was previously engaged as General Manager of Alsa Solar Systems LLC, where he started and built from zero the company into a leading local Solar System Integrator & Solar EPC based in Abu Dhabi & Dubai, UAE which has various iconic projects to its name. Passionate about implementing solar solutions and with a wide network in the global Solar industry, he takes a keen interest in building bridges through connecting people making the energy transition a reality. As a part of an initial small core group of young professionals active in the regional solar industry, he also co-founded & was board member of MESIA the Middle East Solar Industry Association. Karel has acquired over 14 years of hands-on field experience in ‘making solar happen’ in the UAE. Karel has graduated in Brussels, Belgium with a Bachelor in Commercial & Financial Sciences, carries a Master in Marketing from the renowned Vlerick School for Management in Ghent as well as a Master in International Politics from the University of Antwerp.
Middle East
Karim is the Founder and Executive Director of EPDA, a project origination platform in renewable energy based in Dubai with more than 2GW of transactions already originated globally and 500MW under mandate with leading IPP and investors. Karim is a graduate of HEC French School of Management (economics & finance) and holds a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environment Economics from Paris Nanterre University obtained with honors. He has over 15 years of experience in the energy sector, having founded and co-founded several companies, providing advisory or project development services globally. He also worked for several years in project finance, participating in the closing of more than $ 1.5 billion of debt and over 1 GW of onshore wind and solar capacities. Karim has been a strong supporter of the energy transition for more than a decade and involved with several institutions promoting its acceleration. He is currently a Director at Dii Desert Energy, a leading Think Tank in the MENA region, which he represents at the IRENA Coalition for Action, and has been for several years the French representative within the Task 8 IEA PVPS program focusing on the development of very large solar plants in desert areas.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 16
CO SPONSORS
Laurent Longuet CEO SIRAJPOWER
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
L K Verma MANAGING DIRECTOR POWER N SUN
Laurent spent 15 years working in developing and constructing international energy projects in Europe, Iran, Indonesia, and the Middle East for the Group Total. Laurent moved to the renewable energy sector in 2010 to lead, within the framework of a JV with MASDAR, the construction of Shams 1, the first concentrated solar energy power plant in the Middle East and the largest worldwide at the time of its commissioning. After three years of developing the activities of SunPower in the Middle East - closing significant deals in Morocco and Qatar, creating an extensive solar project in Egypt, Laurent joined Akuo Energy during summer 2015. He is based in Dubai and had been leading the development, the EPC activities, and operations of AKUO Group in the MENA region before being appointed as CEO of SirajPower – the UAE’s Leading Distributed Solar Energy Provider. SirajPower has the highest market share of distributed solar assets under ownership and operation in the UAE. Laurent has led the company’s success by achieving exponential growth of solar assets starting from 1 MW in 2015, to 100 MWp by 2021, across over 180 facilities. Under his leadership, the company structured and secured an innovative $50M non-recourse debt facility from APICORP, the first-of-its-kind in the region, paving the path for bankability of the distributed commercial & industrial solar market. He has been instrumental in building a team of 100 solar experts by 2021 covering the full solar value chain including business development, engineering, project management, procurement, operations & maintenance and other supporting functions; expanding SirajPower’s operations geographically beyond the UAE into neighboring GCC countries (KSA, Bahrain and Oman); diversifying SirajPower’s offering into new cutting-edge technologies such as solar & battery storage systems, and virtual power distribution; leading the expansive growth, offering substantial savings not only to large industrial sectors, but also in other market segments including Education, Real Estate, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), and Food & Beverage. Laurent has been awarded by DEWA Gold Category under the Shams Dubai regulation, Emirates Energy Awards - Distributed Solar Generation Award, and MESIA’s Solar Rooftop Project of the Year award. He holds a BS of Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris / France) and an MS of Paris Tech (Paris / France - Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées).
Middle East
L.K. Verma have more than 29 years of professional experience in Enterprise development, growth strategies, process improvements and supply chain in India, Middle east and Africa and south Asia. Entrepreneur, creator, visionary and strategist, he has worked across industries and functions, including last 11 years as an entrepreneur. Starting his career in 1992 as management trainee with Murugappa Group from India to a founder and managing director of one of the largest solar design and Distribution company in Middle east region. A Mechanical Engineer with business leadership program from Harvard. He has been a mentor and advisor to many business initiatives in India and UAE and couple of his white papers are published on various subjects. He was chairman of “Indian business and profession council, RAK chapter for 3 years. He has been awarded with “The middle East Solar energy leadership” and “Pravasi Ratna” in 2018 and best channel partner middle east in 2020. He has been a speaker on more than 100 seminars and webinars over a period of last couple of years. Power in Sun is basically a design and distribution company supporting solarization in residential, commercial, and industrial sector. They are Solar supply chain managers and work towards reducing the project turnaround time and making Solar more viable to consumers.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 17
CO SPONSORS
Manoj Divakaran CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR EMPEREAL RUBY ENERGY AND INNOVATIONS
Manoj is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Empereal Energy, a company focused on solar thermal and solar PhotoVoltaic based power generation and solar/biomass seawater desalination systems. Empereal solutions guarantee continuous generation of power from renewable energy using hybrid technologies and thermal storage solutions. Key focus is on making solar energy a mainstream energy source by ensuring continuous availability and reliable delivery. Manoj is a keen champion of open innovation, with lots of prior experience and success in setting up and leading large virtual teams focused on increasing customer loyalty and profit. Empereal's open innovation approach has brought many trend-setting solutions to the energy marketplace. Manoj specialises in Leadership, programme management, Renewable energy, Energy management strategies, Open Innovation & organisational transformation. Recently, the company has made ground breaking BIPV installations at Dubai EXPO 2020 including the UAE pavilion for various global architects.
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi CEO MASDAR (ABU DHABI FUTURE ENERGY COMPANY)
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi is the Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, which is the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, part of Mubadala Investment Company and a global renewable energy leader. Under his leadership, Masdar has reinforced its global standing as a commercial developer and investor in large-scale renewable energy projects, a partner of governments and host countries in extending access to affordable and reliable clean energy, a catalyst for the application of cutting-edge technologies, and a pioneer of net-zero-energy urban development. Under his guidance, the company has consolidated its presence in the United Kingdom, won new projects in the Middle East and North Africa, and entered North America. In addition, he is the Chairman of the Masdar Investment Committee, and a director of Shua’a Energy 2 PSC, the project vehicle developing Phase 3 of the MBR Solar Park, Emirates Waste to Energy Company, the DFM-listed district cooling company Tabreed, and Medical Holding Company. He is also a director of the Catalyst, a joint venture between Masdar and BP specialising in the acceleration of clean-tech start-ups.
Martin Haupts CEO PHANES GROUP
Martin Haupts founded Phanes Group in 2012, giving the firm a distinct renewable energy and emerging market focus. He has orchestrated the company's transition from an advisoryfocused firm to an integrated solar developer and investment manager with a transaction volume exceeding USD 250 million. He has led key deals for Phanes Group, including the largest distributed PV solar project in the Middle East, the largest PV solar project in the Caribbean, and secured a 227.5 MW project portfolio in Nigeria as well as in numerous other sub-Saharan markets. He was the Head of Asset Management for the UAE-based Gulf Merchant Bank, and established Dubai-based Themar Partners that was later merged into Phanes Group. Prior to this he worked for Credit Suisse Asset Management in London and Zurich as a Global COO Products and Solutions. Martin holds an MBA from INSEAD, France/Singapore, and a Masters in Corporate Law from the University of Hamburg, Germany
Middle East
Mostafa AlGuezeri MANAGING DIRECTOR HITACHI ABB POWER GRIDS
Mostafa AlGuezeri has been associated with ABB for more than 22 years and is currently leading the company as the Managing Director. Mostafa has been spearheading the company’s business with a focus on strengthening customers relationships in the utility, industry, transportation and infrastructure sectors. He has helped accelerate sustainable value creation and ensured that the business operations are efficient with his gifted skills.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 18
CO SPONSORS
Nour Mousa FOUNDER AND CEO DESERT TECHNOLOGIES (DT)
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Omar Al Kasasbeh RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTION HEAD SAMRA ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY (SEPCO)
Nour Mousa is one of the founders of Desert Technologies and has been Chief Executive Officer since its inception. Nour holds an Honours BA in Production Engineering from Helwan University and a graduate diploma in Industrial Engineering from the American University in Cairo. He is an expert with rich worldwide experience specially in the structuring, financing and construction of yield generating assets, from energy to real estate and infrastructure. His company Desert Technologies is a global platform for sustainable development including investment development & management and an engineering, procurement and construction platform for large-scale renewable energy projects. DT’s portfolio exceeds 210 million USD in projects, with an additional 1.4 billion USD in the pipeline.
Omar leads SEPCO as the Renewable Energy head. He takes care of Projects Management and acts as a Renewable Energy Consultant at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources MEMR Quweira 103 MWp PV plant Project. He also has collaborated With MEMR ( Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Jordan) and Fichtner GmbH & Co. KG (engineering office into Germany´s leading independent firm of consulting engineers) by Supporting Fichtner Site Supervisor in the activity of construction site monitoring , inspections and commissioning.
Paddy Padmanathan CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Ofer Yannay
ACWA POWER
CHAIRMAN NOFAR ENERGY
Ofer is the Founder and Chairman of Nofar Energy, Israel. The company was founded in 2011 and is an entrepreneurial and global public company in the field of renewable energy. The company has since developed at a dizzying pace. This is thanks to multidisciplinary capabilities that combine flexibility and speed, while implementing projects independently. Nofar Energy prides itself on technological innovation and quality human capital, and employs about 50 people.
Middle East
Paddy Padmanathan serves as the President and CEO of ACWA Power since 2007. He holds a degree in Engineering from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. Being a seasoned engineering and energy expert with over 40 years of experience, he is a key member of ACWA Power’s executive leadership team. He has spearheaded ACWA Power’s expansion from a startup in 2004 to being one of the biggest developers today. Paddy has guided ACWA Power’s cost leadership and business strategy which is focused on reliably and responsibly delivering electricity and desalinated water, at competitive prices. He is also steering ACWA Power’s leadership in renewable energy, enabling it to be at the forefront in reducing the cost of clean energy on a global scale.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 19
CO SPONSORS
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Raymond Carlsen CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER SCATEC
Raymond Carlsen became CEO of Scatec in 2009. Carlsen was previously partner and responsible for developing Aker ASA’s portfolio of Energy related businesses. He was also responsible for Aker Solutions’ Subsea division. Carlsen has more than 30 years of industrial experience from management positions. He holds a Master of Science degree from Florida Institute of Technology.
Shimmy Belikoff
Shukri Halaby
VP ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS
COO MUSTAKBAL CLEANTECH
MESHEK ENERGY
Shimmy is Head of the company’s Engineering, Building and Operations division at Meshek Energy. He brings 25 years of experience in the management of infrastructure and energy projects both in Israel and abroad. His most recent project was leading the establishment of the 120 MW project in Tze’elim. He is an experienced energy project professional with achievements in project management, project delivery, stakeholder management, working with customers, project development, commercial and financial roles in energy, infrastructure, start-ups, hi-tech and renewable energy. Along with this, Shimmy is highly skilled in corporate and project finance, international business management, deal structuring and optimizing stakeholder interests.
Middle East
Shukri is the COO of Mustakbal clean tech, a specialized EPCOM contractor in the field of photovoltaic systems active across the MEA region. He has over 20 years experience in business development, project management and operations in a variety of sectors including engineering, renewable energy, economic development, logistics and tourism. Prior to joining Mustakbal as a co-founder, he was a consultant for various private and public organizations, and started his career working with Fluor Corporation’s chemical, plastics and fiber process engineering department. Shukri is a graduate of Northwestern University, with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Industrial Engineering.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 20
CO SPONSORS
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Sushant Arora CO-FOUNDER AND CEO CLEANMAX SOLAR
Sushant is the co-founder and CEO(MENA) at CleanMax Solar. He is an IIT Bombay graduate and is the youngest co-founder in the CleanMaxteam. He was earlier the Business Development Head for West India. Before starting with CleanMax, he was working with Milestone Ecofirst, a cleantech firm specialising in built environment solutions.
Turki Alshehri CEO ENGIE
Tania Jarjur GENERAL COUNSEL YELLOW DOOR ENERGY
As the General Counsel of Yellow Door Energy, Tania provides legal support for the company’s operations in all markets. Prior to joining Yellow Door Energy, Tania worked with major US law firms on corporate and project development in the United States and the MENA region. She has negotiated power projects ranging from 10 MW to 400 MW with various technologies and fuel supplies, including solar, wind, hydro and natural gas. She Negotiated and helped to secure $31.2 million in funding from leading banks – part of the executive team that negotiated contracts with international banks to finance solar projects in Jordan. She also negotiated and helped to secure $50 million in funding from APICORP – part of the executive team that negotiated the contract to secure funding from APICORP to finance solar projects in the Middle East. This year, she was featured in The Sustainabilist Magazine to discuss women empowerment as well. Tania is admitted to the Washington, D.C. bar, holds a JD of Law from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, and a Business Administration degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Middle East
Turki Al Shehri is the Chief Executive Officer for ENGIE in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has over 15 years of experience in Power Systems with strong expertise in Energy Strategy & Policy, Integrated Resource Supply Planning, Long Term/Short Term Planning, Market Regulations, Renewables & Alternatives, Cogeneration, Efficiency Enhancements, and Power System Analysis. He has a consistent track record of success in delivering effective and implementable strategies, engineering analysis, and project execution.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 21
CO SPONSORS
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
Yogesh Bhardwaj MANAGING DIRECTOR CHINT SOLAR
Wail Bamhair CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER TAQNIA ENERGY
Wail Bamhair is leading Taqnia Energy as the Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the energy industry. He is extremely skilled in Business Strategy, Design Thinking, Innovation, Partnerships,and Due Diligence. Wail is a strong technical professional with a Master's degree in Nanotechnology and Microsystem from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Middle East
Yogesh is the Managing Director - ANZ, SEA, South Asia, ME & Africa at CHINT Solar. He is an experienced P&L leader with diversified operational acumen. He has been responsible for developing strategic plans for Start-ups, business growth, developing org. infrastructure, market expansion, product development, EPC & manufacturing; along with having led large teams of diverse employees and has proven ability & track record in delivering critical business results, operational excellence and general management. His specialties include: extensive experience across Renewable, PV, Smart grid, Energy, IT, Electrical, Electronics, Protection, Automation, Energy storage and Communication Product, EPC & solution segments. Strategic thinker with analytical bent of mind coupled with strong execution bias.
SOLAR LEADERS MIDDLE EAST 2021 | PG 22