Capton was established by Siemens Financial Services and Desert Technologies, launched in 2022 with the shared intent to support the energy transition by mobilizing capital towards identified funding gaps in critical market segments, particularly in emerging markets.
We envision a world where sustainable energy solutions power the future of developing and emerging economies. Our vision is to lead the energy transition by investing in projects that not only deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns but also drive profound developmental impact, accelerating the global shift towards clean energy, energy efficiency, and universal energy access.
Keeping our vision in focus as our guiding light, we strive to deliver best-in-class execution through sustained improvement and continual learning.
Trust, inclusion, collaboration and respect are at the core of our business. We hold ourselves to the highest ethical and compliance standards following our strict Code of Conduct.
We stand behind our work and follow through on our commitments to deliver the value promised to our customers.
We embrace change by proactively assessing and adopting new technologies and business models that maximize our impact.
As an ex-banker with around 23 years' experience in Energy, Infrastructure, Project financing, M&A and PPP internationally, Umer is an executive business leader and investment professional who has led businesses/teams in various environments.
He has been integrally involved in or led nearly 30 transactions to financial close/execution, with an aggregate deal value of over USD13bn. He spent the first 12 years of his career in London as a project finance principal banker (debt and equity) lending to and investing in projects (including having been a Director at Barclays, where he spent 7 years), having started his career at Goldman Sachs IBD in M&A advisory. Over the last decade or so, he has focused on emerging markets while being based in the Middle East, spending several years in advisory (including being Head of Deloitte’s P&IF advisory team across the region), and before returning to being an equity principal, at SNC-Lavalin Capital as VP of EMEA, and then at Equitix / Rakiza, before joining Capton.
Umer is an engaging public speaker and is regularly asked to speak at industry conferences. As a leading industry figure, he has twice been invited to preside on the judging panel for IJ Global’s annual awards for the Middle East & Africa. In addition, since 2017 Umer has been a Board Member of the International Project Finance Association's (IPFA) Middle East Branch Council.
Dr. Chadi Younes is a highly experienced professional in the renewable energy sector with over 16 years of expertise. Currently, he serves as the Head of Origination and Development at Capton Energy. Dr. Younes has extensive experience in project origination and development, project finance, fundraising, and portfolio management. He played a pivotal role in the establishment of Alcazar Energy, contributing to various aspects of business development, including fundraising, deal management, and operational management of power assets.
Dr. Younes has been integral to the execution of numerous transactions, leading several and playing a key role in others, cumulatively amounting to over 15 major deals. These include notable achievements in the development and financing of 256MW Solar PV projects in Egypt and the development of large-scale renewable energy projects across various regions. His international experience spans Africa, Central Asia, Turkey, the Balkans, and South Asia. At Alcazar Energy, he significantly contributed to equity fundraising efforts totaling approximately USD 600 million and was a crucial player in the portfolio exit valued at around USD 1 billion.
Holding a Ph.D. in Energy Engineering, along with degrees in Civil Engineering, Dr. Younes combines his strong financial acumen and industry expertise with a solid engineering background, beneficial in complex energy project execution and management. He is also recognized for his academic contributions to renewable energy, with several publications and research projects to his name, and has received multiple academic and industry awards. Additionally, Dr. Younes is dedicated to mentoring and nurturing future talents in the renewable energy sector.
Clare is an English qualified lawyer with nearly 25 years’ experience working in the projects and infrastructure development space, 16 years of which has been spent focusing on Africa and other emerging markets. She started her career at international law firm Norton Rose, spending 5 years in their project finance team in London, acting predominantly for lenders on the financing and re-financing of large-scale infrastructure projects in the UK. Then followed a 2 year secondment to Sumitomo Corporation in Tokyo, working as in-house counsel alongside the commercial teams on the development, construction and operation of large thermal power projects and energy efficiency projects in South East Asia (incl. Vietnam and Indonesia), the Americas and Caribbean.
Deciding to then focus her practice on Africa, she worked over 10 years for both eleQtra and the Virunga Foundation. At eleQtra (initial sole developer for InfraCo Africa), she acted as lead counsel on complex, high-developmental-impact infrastructure projects across Sub-Saharan Africa (including renewable energy (solar, wind and hydro), transport (ferries and road) and irrigation/water projects, several being deal-firsts in Africa). Her work for the Virunga Foundation (a sizeable UK charity focused on sustainable development initiatives around Virunga National Park in DR Congo) covered a range of commercial and charitable matters during a period of significant growth and challenge, including financing of run-of-river hydropower projects. Clare also served on the Board of Trustee for 4 years.
During her time in Dubai (including 5 years at AMEA Power), Clare’s focus broadened again from Africa to the Middle East and Asia, working as lead counsel on the full project life-cycle, as well as acquisitions, of solar and wind projects (including 500MW wind and 500MW solar in Egypt).
Clare brings this vast experience and familiarity with the complexities and challenges of working on a range of infrastructure projects in developing markets, as well as experience advising on general corporate, commercial and compliance matters, to Capton Energy.
Hari has more than 18 years of strong technical and project management experience in solar energy project design, engineering, construction management and maintenance of large-scale solar utility projects. He has a vast experience handling multiple responsibilities within solar utility and rooftop projects as well as off-grid solutions in different entities.
Hari has supported different organisations to build large portfolios of solar projects across different geographies. He worked in key lead roles for over 3GW worth of Solar PV and 100MW Solar CSP projects in organizations like DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority), Reliance power, Saudi Oger and others.
He has international experience in handling projects in UAE, India, Egypt and Jordan.
Reda Bouij, in his role as Associate Director of Investment and Project Development, will undertake a senior level of involvement in originating, negotiating, and leading due diligence efforts and transactions to their conclusion.
He has extensive experience in the energy transition sector, with roles that span engineering, project development, investment, and strategy consulting. Reda has led projects at ENGIE and EDF, focusing on smart grid deployments, EV infrastructure, and the design of infrastructure projects such as public heating/cooling networks and renewable energy projects. As an Investment Manager with NEOT Capital, he spearheaded investments in off-grid renewables in Africa and sustainable mobility services in Europe. He developed a battery-as-a-service offering and was awarded a tender to provide batteries for electric buses for Grenoble Metropolis and a dozen batteries for RVI (a specialist in the series production of electric vehicles, acquired by Renault). He also established a strategic partnership with NAVYA, a global supplier of autonomous driving systems, resulting in the funding of several fleets of autonomous shuttles deployed in Europe and Asia. Reda successfully sourced and executed the acquisition of controlling shares in Sabon Gari Energy Solutions, a company providing power to over 5,000 SMEs in Kano State, Nigeria, and negotiated agreements for expansion into new markets. His skill set extends to strategic consulting, demonstrated in his role at Strategy& as a senior consultant. He led teams in formulating energy transition strategies for major players in the region, leveraging his extensive knowledge and network in the industry.
Reda's technical and financial expertise is supported by his educational background, holding an Engineer's degree in Power Electronics and Energy Systems, a Master's in Energy Markets Finance & Economics, and an MBA from INSEAD. His experience and skills make him a valuable asset in bridging the gap between large corporations and innovative startups in the energy sector.
Célènne is a French professional with 7 years experience in investment and project management across Europe and the Middle East. Her background is mainly finance-related, with experiences in private equity, asset management, M&A and audit. She holds a Master's in International Management from ESCP Europe and speaks French, English and Spanish.
Prior to Capton, she worked at Société Générale and Natixis Asset Management and has also been part of the unlisted assets investment team at Caisse des dépôts, a French public sector financial institution, and worked on renewable energy and ESG projects for the logistics and real estate fund of Carrefour Group: installation of solar panels -carports and rooftops-, development of EV charging stations, recycling.
Ian has been working in the solar energy industry since 2009 and in Asian and African markets since 2011. His background includes solar energy research, manufacturing, EPC and project development in the US, China, Afghanistan and Egypt. Prior to Capton Energy Ian held the position of Senior Business Development Manager at TBEA Sunoasis, taking greenfield projects from origination to financial closure across the Middle East and Africa. Ian is an American and holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Calvin College. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Arabic.
Gabriel has over 4 years of experience in finance and investment including almost a year involved in the set-up of Capton. During his time in Madrid, Gabriel worked for the Structured Finance team at Sacyr, covering the EMEA & APAC regions focusing on project finance debt and infrastructure investment in IWP, WTP and WTE projects, and he also spent time at Santander Group subsequently. Gabriel gained experience in corporate banking sector in Ireland, as a business consultant in Dublin working on a Non-Performing Loan portfolio sale aimed at restructuring a leading bank’s highly leveraged position.
Paola has 15 years of experience working directly with C-level executives while supporting their global operations and HR needs within the Oil and Gas, Renewable Energy, and IT industries. Throughout these years, she has worked with executives from companies such as Dubai Petroleum, Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operation (ADCO), Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Saudi Aramco, and Siemens in Europe, the Middle East, and South America.
Paola joined the Capton team in 2020 and has been assisting in the processes related to setting up the company.
Khaled Sharbatly joined Desert Technologies in early 2018 as a Managing Partner where he led the business development and capital markets activities, assisting in increasing the company value by securing multiple investments, partnerships, and projects across 24 countries. Khaled Sharbatly is an active sustainability and renewable energy influencer, having spoken at over 15 international conferences, including the B20 Summit, the World Energy Future Summit and Intersolar in the past two years.
Alejandro Sanchez-Hernandez has over 12 years of experience as an equity and project finance professional with a demonstrated track record of successfully structuring and managing projects to financial close. He started his career in Madrid, Spain, where he was responsible for financing and managing multiple projects worldwide with a core focus on PPP projects in the environmental, renewable and water sectors in the Middle-East, Europe, North America and Australia. In 2018, Alejandro Sanchez-Hernandez joined Siemens Financial Services in Germany as Director, Asset & Risk Management and Board Member of the portfolio companies under his management.
Currently serves as a Member of the Board of Directors at the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, Ahmed has previously served as Chief Executive Officer at both Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society and Waha Capital.
Ahmed was also formerly a Senior Investment Professional at the Global Special Situations Department of the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC). Before joining ADIC in 2008, he worked in the field of equities investments at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
In addition, Ahmed has served as a Member of the Board of Directors at several publicly listed entities and institutions, such as Al Dar Properties, Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), TAQA Morocco, Abu Dhabi National Hotels Company, ADNH Compass, The National Health Insurance Company (DAMAN), Al Dhabi Investments, Aseel Finance, Foodco Holdings and Sorouh Real Estate.
Ahmed holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from The John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. He has also successfully completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School in Boston, United States of America.
Abdullah is a strategic and proven leader with vast experience at the helm of some of the largest transformation and vision realization programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
His executive leadership experience encompasses a broad range of sectors including government, investment management, real estate, transportation, and technology.
He has achieved consistent success in projects and topics related to corporate strategy, strategy and planning, transformation, strategy execution, performance management, PMO and corporate governance.
Abdullah holds an MBA from Portsmouth University and currently sits on the board of two PIF entities within real estate and hospitality, along with numerous steering committees.
Preventing violations of applicable laws and regulations is of utmost priority to Capton Energy. Our fundamental corporate rules are contained in our Code of Conduct and include the obligation to comply at all times with applicable laws, together with our internal regulations. Our Code of Conduct sets forth the essential principles and rules governing how Capton Energy acts in relation to our customers, external partners and the general public.
At Capton Energy, we have the responsibility to be familiar with the various rules and standards included in our Code of Conduct and to adhere to them at all times, to make them an integral part of our day-to-day business activities, as well as to convey them to relevant stakeholders.
This involves taking responsibility for ourselves and others, upholding the highest standards of integrity, and doing what is right – not only because we want to follow the rules but also because we believe that they are valid and important. Ultimately, it is about playing fair. Fairness is important for society and fairness is what Capton Energy stands for – everywhere and at all times.