VENTERRA GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- President and Chief Executive Officer of First Reserve
Alex is President and Chief Executive Officer of First Reserve, a global middle-market private equity firm with a focus on the industrials, infrastructure, and energy sectors. He has over 20 years of energy investment experience and is responsible for overall investment, asset management, strategic planning, and operations of First Reserve and its funds, as well as leading its internal ESG Group. Prior to joining First Reserve, Alex worked in the energy group of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in Houston.
Alex serves or has served on the board of directors of various First Reserve portfolio companies or affiliates, including most recently, Ascent Resources, LLC, IOG Resources, LLC and First Reserve Sustainable Growth Corp. Additionally, Alex currently serves on the Investment Committees of the BlackRock Global Energy & Power Infrastructure Funds and the Advisory Boards of Blue Bear Capital.
Alex holds B.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Finance and Statistics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Executive Chair of the Board of Directors
Ayman established Petrofac International in 1991 and developed it into a leading FTSE 100 company. He served as Petrofac Chief Executive Officer until December 2020 and remains a Non-Executive Director and the largest shareholder.
Ayman was awarded EY's UK Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 and was one of the UK Prime Minister's Business Ambassadors from 2014 to 2017. He is the co-founder of The Asfari Foundation and a Trustee of The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
He is a fellow of both the Energy Institute and the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK and holds a BSc in Engineering from Villanova University and MSc in Civil and Urban Engineering from University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Engineer
- Member of the Board
- Joint Managing Director, Osbit
Brendon is a committed engineer with over 20 years of experience in OEMs within the offshore, industrial, and military sectors, and over ten years' experience in creating, leading, and growing companies and organisations. Brendon co-founded Osbit in 2010 and has led a number of key projects for the offshore wind industry, including the development of Osbit's ground-breaking asset software package and safety assessment framework.
Brendon is a board member of the Entrepreneurs Forum, Chairman of a local youth charity and is passionate about developing organisational cultures and people.
Job Titles:
- Lead Independent Director
Chad Holliday was previously Chair of the Board of Royal Dutch Shell from 2015 to 2021 and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank of America from 2010 to 2015. For eleven years until 2008 he was Chair of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of DuPont. Under his direction, DuPont established its mission to achieve sustainable growth: increasing shareholder and societal value while decreasing the company's environmental footprint.
Chad is also known for his significant contribution to the advance of sustainability and protection of the environment. In 2011, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched Sustainable Energy for All with Chad leading the initiative's Executive Committee. Today he remains a Director of the United Nations Foundation. In 2021 he became Co Chair at the launch of the Mission Possible Partnership, an alliance of climate leaders focused on supercharging decarbonisation across the entire value chain of the world's highest-emitting industries in the next ten years.
He is a former Chair of the US National Academy of Engineering and a member of the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering.
Claire brings over 23 years' experience in the HSSEQ discipline, predominantly in the oil & gas, renewables, and engineering sectors.
Prior to that she held the role of UK HSEQ Director of leading engineering and industrial service provider, Bilfinger UK Ltd. Previously she was Group HSEQS Director for leading subsea services provider DeepOcean Group where she worked for 13 years.
Her experience spans across global cultures improving HSSEQ engagement, performance and implementing ISO HSEQ management standards in diverse businesses that had frequently been acquired and were building international operations.
Claire has held chartered status with the Institute of Occupational Health since 2002 and is a member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management. She holds a diploma in Occupational Safety and Health and a diploma in Neuro Linguistic Programming and Behavioural Safety.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager - Balltec
David brings 25 years of corporate experience in the energy and high growth sectors. He worked at BP plc for 11 years in a variety of roles including Group Corporate & Legal Manager before moving to Paysafe, a payment services business. During his seven years with Paysafe, he built its corporate and company secretarial team and managed its successful NYSE listing in 2021. Previously, David worked as a lawyer at Linklaters in London.
David is a qualified solicitor and graduate of the University of Oxford.
Drew co-founded INSPIRE Environmental in 2015 and as CEO has built a world-class team of marine scientists into the leading benthic assessment firm in offshore wind. His experience in growing the U.S. market with critical consulting support includes leading a landmark seven-year study of the effects of offshore wind on commercial fish and lobster, recreational fishing, and benthic habitats.
His technical contributions include a synthesis of the artificial reef effect of offshore wind structures, Nature Inclusive Design and as part of the ICES Working Group on Marine Benthal and Renewable Energy Developments is leading a focus on non-invasive monitoring approaches.
Over a twenty-year period in applied marine science, he and his team have developed innovative approaches to collecting and presenting visual data in interactive decision-making tools now widely used for offshore wind permitting, cable routing and site management.
Drew received a Ph.D from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland in marine ecology and geology.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Non - Executive Director
Duncan Palmer is an experienced chief financial officer of major international businesses listed in both the US and UK.
His career started with 20 years at Shell where he held various senior finance roles. In 2007 he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Owens Corning (NYSE: OC), a leading global fibreglass manufacturer. Owens Corning is a major supplier of high performance materials to wind blade manufacturers.
In 2012 he became Finance Director of RELX PLC, a FTSE30 provider of information based analytics and professional data. In 2014 he took on the Chief Financial Officer role, initially at DTZ and subsequently Cushman and Wakefield (NYSE:CWK), a leading global commercial real estate services firm. He was responsible for post-merger integration and then led the company's IPO in 2018 on the NYSE, raising $1billion in additional capital.
Having managed Cushman's finances through the pandemic in 2020, Duncan retired in 2021. He lives in Chicago and is an Independent Director and Audit Committee Chair at Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE: OSK), the specialty vehicles business.
Duncan received his Master of Arts from Cambridge University and his Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Job Titles:
- Chief People and Culture Officer
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel
Geoff has worked in HR and related functions for almost 35 years, in a variety of industries including rail, automotive, utilities, energy and manufacturing. He has spent most of his career in fast-paced, technically-demanding, global businesses across multiple geographies and jurisdictions, including Texas Utilities, Hess Corporation, Petrofac and IMI.
Geoff is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a graduate of Nottingham University.
Job Titles:
- Plant Manager - FoundOcean
Ivan has over 25 years of experience in Financial Leadership and Management across a range of sectors including Aerospace, Energy, Services, Technology, Engineering and Healthcare.
He was most recently Chief Financial Officer of GKN Aerospace, a Melrose Industries company, and before that held roles in Centrica, IMI and AstraZeneca.
Ivan holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics from University of Warwick and completed his CIMA Examinations on the AstraZeneca Graduate Programme.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Naver Energy
Jacob has +20 years of leadership and business strategy experience having held positions as VP and CTO over the years working with and for the leading turbine manufacturers in the wind energy industry. His engineering background has been used for both Innovation, Engineering, Product and Project Development delivering solutions across the value chain within R&D, Service and Manufacturing.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Affairs and Marketing Director
James brings over 30 years' experience advising on corporate reputation for companies in the FTSE 100 and major international businesses. He has held the role of Managing Partner at both Finsbury Glover Hering and Brunswick Group and has extensive experience of working on IPOs, M&A and crisis across a wide range of industries, particularly in energy and companies engaged in the energy transition.
James is a graduate of the University of York.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, INSPIRE Environmental
Jeanine has more than 25 years' experience in environmental consulting.
At Battelle Memorial Institute, a global not-for-profit R&D organization, Jeanine managed offshore marine survey work - first as a field scientist, and then as a Resource Manager and Line of Business Leader.
As the Environmental Business Line Leader under Battelle's National Security Division, Jeanine was responsible for integration of Battelle resources across multiple business lines. Reporting to senior management and an external National Security Science Advisory Board, Jeanine was responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to drive revenue of approximately $55M annually.
While at Battelle, Jeanine coordinated research teams from the US DOE National Laboratories, universities and industry to successfully execute two R&D projects to develop advanced technologies to meet global water demands.
Jeanine joined INSPIRE in 2015, where she leads management to support growth and drive efficiency while maintaining the highly creative and innovative culture that INSPIRE is known for.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, FoundOcean
Jim joined FoundOcean in 2005, where he implemented international expansion and entry into the offshore renewables market, where FoundOcean has been a leading player since 2010. He has 30 years' experience in the energy industry and his previous positions include ten years at Oil States Industries and four at London Underground on the Jubilee Line Extension project. Jim holds a Civil Engineering degree from City University London.
Job Titles:
- Group Director of Human Resources
John has over 25 years' experience of global HR across M&A, compensation and benefits, business transformation and talent development. He was formerly Group HR Director at TT Electronics for eight years and earlier worked at QinetiQ where he helped prepare the company for its successful IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 2006.
John is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a graduate of the University of South Wales, Cardiff.
Jonathan is a seasoned Chartered Engineer with a 27-year track record in the renewable energy sector. His approach to leadership is based on a team-first attitude, where he brings together diverse skill sets to achieve collective goals.
As a strategic thinker, he possesses a keen commercial awareness, allowing him to navigate market dynamics effectively. Jonathan's commitment to a collaborative work environment, strategic outlook, and commercial insight make him an invaluable asset. His leadership drives successful outcomes and fosters a culture of inclusivity and shared success, positioning him as a leader who is as invested in people as he is in results.
Prior to GDG, Jonathan held senior roles at Atkins and Royal HaskoningDHV.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, CAPE Holland
Laurens is the 5th generation of the "de Neef family" in the piling industry. His father started CAPE Holland back in 2002 together with Laurens, just after Laurens graduated his bachelor degree in economics. Over the years, he has worked on all sides of the business, and he became CEO in 2014.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Ordtek
- Specialist
Lee Gooderham has taking the specialist consultancy practice (Ordtek Limited) from start-up to one of the most recognised UXO specialist in the World. He has spent over 23 years executing UXO risk management on energy, and construction, related projects on land and within the marine environment. His principal role has been to guide clients' through the evolving landscape with all matters relating to UXO, from satisfying regulatory requirements to brokering technical solutions with installation contractors. While supporting a range of sectors, he has been most influential in the offshore renewable industry where the Ordtek approach is considered industry best practice. Throughout his career Lee has routinely been involved with industry guidance and best practice documentation that has shaped the wider UXO management processes including work with CIRIA, AWEA and the Carbon Trust.
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Non - Executive Director
- Chairman of Climate & Sustainability
- Fellow and past President
Lord Browne serves as Chairman of Climate & Sustainability investing and is a Managing Director at General Atlantic.
He brings over 50 years of climate industry experience, including previous roles as the Group Chief Executive of BP from 1995 to 2007 and as co-head of Riverstone's renewable energy private equity fund from 2007 to 2015. He is Co-Chair of the UK Prime Minister's Council on Science and Technology.
Lord Browne is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow and Past President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He previously served on the boards of DaimlerChrysler, Goldman Sachs, Intel and SmithKline Beecham.
Job Titles:
- Coastal Engineer - Partrac
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President Engineering
Founder of Gavin and Doherty Geosolutions in 2011 and as Managing Director has developed GDG into an international consultancy firm that has developed and led a team of over 150 engineers and scientists who provide value engineering design to projects across the world.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Executive Committee
Philippe started his career in 1990 with EDF International before joining General Electric in 1993. He held positions in Manufacturing and Technology in GE Medical Systems, moving to sales in 1997 within GE Oil & Gas. He joined GE Energy Services in 2001 before integrating the wind business acquired by GE in 2002. Philippe remained in GE Renewables until 2008, when he joined AREVA and led the Key Account Management programme.
Prior to becoming CEO of Venterra Group in September 2023, Philippe's career in the offshore wind industry has spanned over 20 years. From 2011 to 2017, he worked for AREVA Renewables in France and Germany and ended up chairing the Board of Adwen Offshore. In 2018, Philippe joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and was nominated CEO of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind in Denmark. He restored the offshore wind OEM profitability and led the joint venture until Vestas bought it back at the end of 2020. In 2021, Philippe joined the Board of Maersk Supply Service until November, when he moved to Oslo and was nominated CEO for Aker Offshore Wind. In August 2022, Philippe joined Aker Horizons as an Executive Director.
Graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Mines de Paris, Philippe was first elected President of the Offshore Wind Committee of the French Renewable Association in 2013, then President of the industrial Wind Committee in 2016. In September 2020, he was elected Chair of the WindEurope Board.
Job Titles:
- Joint Managing Director, Osbit
Robbie has over 20 years of experience in leading the development and implementation of pioneering engineering systems in the offshore wind, oil & gas, and automotive industries. He joined Osbit in 2011 and became a director in 2013. Prior to this, Robbie was Head of Solutions at IHC Engineering Business (now Royal IHC) and held key technical roles in a number of world-first offshore wind projects.
Robbie holds an MEng in Mechanical and Automotive Engineering from Newcastle University and is dedicated to developing engineering talent and excellence.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Balltec
As a founder member of Balltec in 2004, Russell's expertise and knowledge of the company is extensive. After being instrumental in the company's early growth, Russell was made Project Director in 2008 and became Managing Director in 2011.
He took the decision to pivot to offshore wind during the downturn of the oil and gas industry. This started with the product development of connectors for cable protection systems and adaptation of Balltec's well-established lifting systems. These steps have resulted in offshore wind and oil and gas decommissioning becoming the company's largest business sectors.
Job Titles:
- Member Company Managing Director
- Founding Director of Partrac
- Managing Director, Partrac
Sam is a founding Director of Partrac and is our Commercial Director. He is responsible for a range of functions including commercial strategy, finance and tendering. A strategic thinker, Sam has developed the company structure, building a resilient team that focuses on serving the growing offshore renewables industry.
Sam has developed Partrac's capability to safely deliver oceanographic and wind resource measurement campaigns. He has directed numerous measurement projects for the offshore wind sector, including floating offshore wind and real-time metocean monitoring for offshore construction. Over the past six years, Sam has also led floating LiDAR projects, delivering high-quality wind resource data that has underpinned the viability of offshore wind investment decisions.
Sam's extensive metocean and offshore wind experience, combined with his client-first approach to project delivery, has underpinned Partrac's success in the offshore renewables sector.
Scott has over 30 years of engineering, management and business experience in the development and installation of surface and subsurface infrastructure for the offshore oil and gas sector, working for the major international operators and contractors. In recent years, he has expanded his expertise into business acquisition, restructuring, and turnaround activities, taking an executive leadership role and utilising his experience to manage and coordinate the operational aspects of several target businesses.
Scott's educational background includes a BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering from Strathclyde University, an MBA from the University of Western Australia, and completion of the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Senior Geoscientist and Metocean Team Lead - GDG
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Corp
Tjada is Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Corp, a leading humanitarian relief organisation operating around the world, and previously she was Chief Operating Officer of Habitat for Humanity and CARE.
Tjada's career has a unique blend of experience in operational leadership across the government and not-for-profit sectors, and she brings extensive experience in policy development, community, and environmental impact around the world. Tjada has spent more than a decade working to end world hunger in roles with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. government. During the Obama administration, Tjada served as Deputy Coordinator of Development for Feed the Future, the U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative, and also Assistant to the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau for Food Security in Washington, D.
Tjada has a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Harvard University (1996). She also earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University (2002) and began her career at McKinsey & Co.
Job Titles:
- Group Development Director
Tony has 35 years' experience of business building in subsea construction companies, the last ten years predominantly in windfarm cable, foundations and turbine installation. Until October 2018, held the role of MD of MPI Offshore, a wind farm structures installer (then acquired by Van Oord Offshore Wind).
Tony is a graduate of the University of Western Australia.
Tove has more than 25 years' experience at the forefront of the renewables sector, with a focus on offshore wind.
Her previous roles include Chief Technology Officer at DONG Energy Wind Power (now Orsted) where she had a prominent role in preparing the company for IPO, as well as Head of Engineering Solutions Offshore, Siemens Wind Power and Managing Director of DNV Global Wind Energy.
Tove currently serves on a number of Boards supporting the energy transition, including TRIG (FTSE 250), Stiesdal, FORCE Technology and CEKO Sensors. She is also a member of the Board of Representatives at the Danish Technical University.
She is a UF Engineering Graduate (USA) with a Ph.D from Aalborg University (Denmark) and Executive MBA from IMD (Switzerland).
Vivienne has wide experience in senior roles in the energy, natural resources, publishing and pharmaceutical sectors as well as leadership positions in prominent business schools. She also has a deep understanding of regulatory and government relationships.
Her executive career spanned 28 years at BP plc in Britain and continental Europe, in posts including Chief Executive of BP's gas, power and renewable business and its alternative energy unit.
Vivienne is presently a Non-Executive Director of GlaxoSmithKline plc, a member of the Board of Stena AB and, from February 2022, the Chair of Victrex. She is also Chair of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and Vice Chair of the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Vivienne was previously Senior Independent Director of Pearson plc, a Non-Executive Director of BG Group plc, Rio Tinto plc and Eurotunnel plc, and Lead Independent Director of the UK Government's Department for International Development.
Vivienne was a member of the INSEAD Board from 2009 to 2013. During this time she was also acting as Non-Executive Chairman for the Climate Change Capital Group Ltd and was a member of the Advisory Board for Mainstream Renewable Power Ltd, a renewable-energy company engaged in wind-power development.