WHO WE ARE
Velto Renewables is an investor, investment manager and long-term owner of renewable energy assets. Established in 2020, the company is a subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec CDPQ, a global investment group.
Velto Renewables is committed to helping decarbonize the global economy by investing in and developing an international and multi-technology portfolio of renewable energy projects. We currently own 218 MW of operating solar PV projects in Spain, manage a 25% investment in a 630 MW offshore wind farm in United Kingdom, and are seeking to grow its portfolio by becoming a local player in the countries and regions where we invest.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Lucas de Haro
Managing Director
Lucas de Haro is Managing Director of Velto. He leads, the execution of the company’s overall strategy and oversees its daily management. He stepped into the role at the beginning of 2021 upon the creation of Velto.
Since the early 2000s, he has devoted his career to the renewable energy, engineering and infrastructure sectors, with a strong international emphasis. Some of his previous roles and managerial experiences before joining Velto include Head of M&A at Falck Renewables; member of Senior Management of Eptisa, CEO of Sorgent.e Hydro Canada in Vancouver, and Italy Country Manager of Prointec in Rome. In addition, Mr. de Haro has served in various market associations, highlighted by the managerial roles he played at the Clean Energy Association of British Columbia.
Mr. de Haro holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts. He also holds the PMP Certification from the Project Management Institute.
Berta Albajar
Head of Finance & Administration
Berta Albajar leads and manages the financial activities of Velto, covering a wide range of operations and tasks.
Ms. Albajar accrues more than 10 years of experience in the energy field. Prior to joining Velto, she managed a portfolio of more than 2 GW of solar PV, wind and CSP projects for Plenium Partners. Likewise, she was an auditor for EY in Madrid and London working mainly for energy projects.
Berta holds a dual Bachelor in Business Administration and Law from the Comillas Pontifical University (ICADE).
Álvaro Jiménez
Portfolio Manager
As Portfolio Manager of Velto Renewables, Álvaro Jiménez leads the daily management of Velto´s renewable assets as well as the relationship with the related contractors and services providers.
Mr. Jiménez accrues more than 7 years of experience in the renewable energy sector. Prior to joining Velto, he served as Asset Manager for PV plants in Spain and Peru for T-Solar and Plenium Partners. Likewise, Mr. Jiménez worked as a technical advisor for Enertis with a focus on PV projects in Spain, United Kingdom, Chile, Mexico and the United States. Before transitioning towards the renewables industry, Mr. Jiménez acted as International Trade and Investment Advisor at the Spanish Economic and Commercial Office in Algeria.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science Physics from the Complutense University of Madrid and a Master in International Business Management from the Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX).
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Vivian Nicoli
Chair of the Board of Directors (CDPQ)
Vivian Nicoli has been Managing Director, Infrastructure for Europe at CDPQ since September 2020. She heads the CDPQ Paris office and supports developing and implementing its infrastructure investment strategy in the region. She oversees a team of professionals with an expertise in infrastructure that is responsible for targeting promising opportunities for CDPQ. The portfolio she manages encompasses diverse assets in airports, rail and public transportation, gas distribution and renewable energy, including the Eurostar and Heathrow airport.
Ms. Nicoli has over 25 years of experience in international infrastructure. Before joining CDPQ, she spent ten years as Founding Partner of EISER Infrastructure Partners, a multinational infrastructure asset manager. In that role, she led a team responsible for originating, executing and managing investments. Previously, she worked for eight years at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development where she was a senior banker on the municipal and environmental infrastructure team. She also served as general counsel for Egis (previously Transroute International).
Ms. Nicoli holds a Juris Doctor from University of British Columbia in Canada. She has sat on the Boards of Directors of Herambiente, Cory Environmental, Fondul Proprietatea, Sofiyska Voda and AS Tallinna Vesi.
Patrick Côté
Director (CDPQ)
Patrick Côté is Managing Director, Infrastructure, at CDPQ Paris. He develops new opportunities and monitors and seeks value-creation initiatives for CDPQ’s investments in the infrastructure sector in Europe. He has occupied various positions in investment at CDPQ in Paris and Montréal since 2008. In his current role, he has been involved in many transactions in the energy and transport sectors.
Before joining CDPQ, Mr. Côté worked at Ivanhoe Cambridge, CDPQ’s real estate subsidiary. Mr. Côté holds a business degree from HEC Montréal in Canada and is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified Management Accountant (CPA, CMA). He has sat on the Board of Directors of South East Water, Interconnector UK, Fluxys, Keolis, London Array Limited and Velto Renewables.
Andrew Parr
Director (Independent)
Andy Parr is a solar industry veteran with over 35 years of international experience working on both connected grids and off-grid applications. Most recently, he was Operations Director for the international projects division of Trina Solar, managing the delivery of over 250 MW of solar projects in Europe and Latin America and the early-stage development of many more. Prior to this, he headed the European technical delivery team for United Solar Ovonic and held various senior roles within BP Solar, including Global Product Director, Southern European Sales Director and Global Projects Manager.
Mr. Parr has a BSc (Honours) Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Trent Polytechnic and continues to be active in the solar industry by serving as a senior advisor.
Isabel Reija
Director (Independent)
Isabel Reija is a seasoned professional in the energy industry with extensive experience as an executive and entrepreneur. Her career spans more than 25 years, and started at major international energy firms and utilities such as Repsol, Unión Fenosa (now Naturgy) and Endesa. In 2010 she launched Fenie Energía, the supply company owned by electricians which became Spain’s market leader in under a decade. In 2019, she co-founded Barter with the vision of becoming the solar community of the future by developing collective shared energy solar facilities that benefit local customers, and also investing in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
Ms. Reija holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the ICAI School of Engineering of Comillas Pontifical University, and an Executive Development Diploma (PDD) from the IESE Business School. She has also studied at the London School of Economics (LSE) and completed a PhD course at UNED, the Spanish National Distance Education University. She is President of the Board of Directors of Barter, advisory Board member of Fundación Renovables, and Vice-President of the Board of the ICAI School of Engineering. She is also part of the non-profit organization Fundación Luz Solidaria, where she mentors women in executive positions.
VELTO IS A MEMBER OF
