SIMPLY BLUE GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- Octopus Renewables As an Investment Director
Chris joined Octopus Renewables as an investment director in 2015. He is a long-standing member of the Octopus Renewables investment committee and a director of several Octopus Renewables wind and solar special purpose vehicles . Chris originated and led one of the largest wind farm portfolio acquisitions in the UK valued at c.£320 million.
He now focuses on the originating acquisition opportunities and fundraising, as well as looking for strategic investments in related sectors. Prior to joining Octopus, Chris worked in business development at Falck Renewables where he had a range of roles, including in M&A and leading greenfield development in France and Poland. Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Sydney
Conor is the Ireland Investment Lead for Octopus Energy Generation and has 10+ years experience in the renewables industry. Coming from an electrical engineering background, Conor previously held a number of energy- focused consulting roles at PwC and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. He joined the Octopus Investment team in 2019.
An experienced entrepreneur, CEO and non-executive director with a track record in helping businesses across a diverse range of industries, grow and scale, nationally and internationally. Hugh has over 30 years' experience of founding, investing in and scaling businesses internationally across EU, ME, Asia and Oceania, in manufacturing, distribution, and services.
His experience has been instrumental in developing Simply Blue Group's globally recognised brand, talent, and project pipeline, and in establishing joint ventures with some of the world's leading energy sector companies. He provides the strategic leadership and direction to create and uphold a culture that is focused on delivery.
James has responsibilities for corporate governance and represents the interests of all stakeholders. He supports the executive team in strategy development and fundraising.
James has spent over a decade raising and investing money in renewable energy assets in the UK for private equity investors and sits on the Organics Steering Group of the Renewable Energy Association. James is also executive chairman of Regen Holdings, a TPG portfolio company, operating in the UK waste recycling and renewable energy industries.
Sam is Co-Founder Director of Simply Blue Group. A civil engineer by profession, and an entrepreneur at heart, Sam has had several global ventures, founding and developing companies in the EU, Asia and the US including Delaney's Irish pub chain in Asia and Swirish Property AB in Sweden.
In recent years, Sam's passion has focused primarily on building Simply Blue Group, to work with the oceans and the land and play his part in tackling the global climate change crisis through renewable energy solutions. Sam has assembled a talented team of more than 60 people with projects now operating in over 6 countries across the globe and growing.
Job Titles:
- Chief Impact Officer & Portfolio Director ( Ireland )
Val Cummins has over 25 years of expertise in the marine and energy fields at national and international levels.
She brings a considerable track record in team building, leading complex projects with diverse disciplines, and high levels of stakeholder engagement through previous roles (i.e. Director of Coastal & Marine Resources Centre, Director of Irish Maritime & Energy Resource Cluster, Principal Investigator EirWind and Senior Lecturer in University College Cork). Val has a PhD in coastal management, is an Eisenhower Fellow, and has participated in Women in Leadership executive training at Harvard University. She is now Operations & Projects Director for Simply Blue Energy Ireland.