At the forefront of technological innovation in its sector, the SOLER Group is a pioneer in the production of renewable carbon and a major player in the development of biorefineries. Our mission is to promote a climate neutral industry while fostering the growth and well-being of our forests.

As Chairman of the Board of the independent think tank E+ Energy Transition Institute I support the organisation in defining its strategy for strengthening and accelerating the energy transition and industrial transformation in Brazil.

After developing Agora Energiewende’s partnerships and activities in Latin America I joined the effort of establishing Agora Industry as a leading think tank and voice for promoting the transformation of the European industry as a fundament of a prosperous and climate neutral economy. Focus of my work is the development of technical, economic, and political strategies, as well as concrete policy instruments that support transformative investments in steel, chemicals, and cement industries. Moreover, I support transversal work for the development of a European hydrogen economy as well as general work to align the objectives of economic recovery and climate neutrality.

During my time as VP Energy Transition for Engie Brazil I designed and implemented a comprehensive strategy to support the company’s transformation in the field of renewable energy investments, energy services and climate solutions. Fundament of this work was the development of environmental market instruments such as carbon and renewable energy certificates for local markets, as well as global sustainable finance solutions to fund the necessary investments. During this period, my team managed the accreditation of 13 wind, hydro, biomass, and energy efficiency projects and allocated more than 1.5 billion Euros in Green Bond financing to the development of more than 5,000 MW in renewable energy generation capacity. In addition to supporting business development and investment activities, I was responsible for organizing corporate training and strategy sessions to promote Engie’s revised corporate strategy. Moreover, I was responsible for stakeholder outreach in the field of climate policy and energy market reforms.

Following the decisions of COP 16 in Cancún of December 2010, the global climate policy landscape evolved with the principles of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Activities (NAMAs) and the expectations for the evolution of global carbon market instruments under the Kyoto Protocol’s second commitment period. Based on these fundaments I developed a strategy to leverage the development of renewable energy investments with a combination of domestic NAMA based climate finance policies and international carbon market incentives. This innovative approach allowed developing and financing more substantial and transformative renewable energy projects. An outstanding example is the 3,750 MW Jirau hydropower plant, which had a transformational role for the Brazilian power sector and prevented the installation of equivalent coal power generation capacities. Based on the synergies between domestic and international climate policies, my team achieved the registration of the Jirau HPP as the worlds’ largest renewable energy project ever accredited under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism CDM. In sequence of these milestones, my team was able to register and consolidate an international portfolio of 19 CDM registered renewable energy projects with a total installed capacity of 6.230 MW and an aggregate emission reduction potential of 12 million t CO2 equivalent.

My initial objective when starting my work for Engie (at that time GDF-Suez) was establishing a carbon market activity in Latin America to support the group’s regional business development and source carbon credits for its European affiliates. The main achievements of this activity were the UN registration of the group’s first wind projects in Chile, Costa Rica and Brazil according to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Moreover, I supported the structuring of hydropower developments in Peru, Panama, and Brazil with carbon market and climate finance solutions. In complement to the CDM registration, the efforts allowed to raise 290 million Euro in Climate Finance from the KFW and EIB for the investments in Panama, Chile and Brazil.

My time with the start-up company EcoSecurities was a unique opportunity to consolidate and apply the concepts of environmental economics that I had acquired in my previous Master course. My work with diverse industries, such as forestry, energy and heavy industries allowed me to develop a systematic and sector-integrated thinking. While few of the projects developed at the time are operational today, the fundaments developed at the time were key to develop more effective business and policy development strategies. During my work with EcoSecurities, I had an important role in building awareness for the need and nature of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies in Latin America. Moreover, my work contributed to the development of a more rational approach to the financial appraisal of GHG mitigation investments.

Following the successful launch of the Identity Preservation Standard for Non-Genetically Modified products in Brazil, I headed the promotion and implementation of the solution in Europe, China as well as the US. On the back of this experience, I established myself as an expert for the quality control and traceability of agricultural feedstuffs and published the article “Labelling and traceability of GMO, published by the European Feed Business Magazine 4, 2004. The experience triggered by interest in general environmental and social safeguards, especially related to avoided deforestation and climate change mitigation. As successful work in this field required new competences in the field of business management, finance and environmental economics, I decided to pursue a Master course with Coppead, the Graduate School of Business of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

My first assignment in Latin America was to support GeneScan, today a subsidiary of Eurofins Scientific, in developing the business for bio-molecular food and feed analytics in Brazil. The company was a pioneer in detecting Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), which were a concern to prominent European food and feed producers. To satisfy their demand for Non-GMO feedstock from Brazil, I established direct business relations and logistic solutions with Brazilian producers. With my understanding of local realities, I participated in the development of a comprehensive and certifiable standard for Identity Preservation of Non-GMO products that defined verifiable traceability and control measures according to a HACCP based risk assessment. The analytical business generated with this strategy allowed implementing a successful DNA testing laboratory and today Eurofins has a solid and diversified presence in Brazil.