The Australia UAE Business Council has convened the inaugural meeting of its Renewable and Alternative Energies Working Group.
Co-Chaired by Mr Przemek Lupa (Masdar) and Mr Sam Pearce (QIC), the working group will explore investment and collaboration opportunities for Australian and UAE companies with interests in renewable and alternative energies.
Co-Chairs of the Australia UAE Business Council, the Hon Christopher Pyne, and Badr Al-Olama, lauded the establishment of the working group as a step forward in progressing trade relations between Australia and the UAE.
“Since launching the Australia UAE Business Council in November 2020, we have found numerous opportunities for Australian and Emirati companies to collaborate within the renewable and alternative energies industry progress,” said Mr Pyne.
“The establishment of the working group, will allow Australian and Emirati businesses to formally connect and analyse potential business opportunities with the intention on developing cross-country relationships.”
Australia UAE Business Council UAE Co-Chair, Badr Al-Olama, said, “This working group provides the opportunity for businesses in the UAE and Australia to share knowledge and build understanding in the important areas of renewable and alternative energies.
“Building this shared understanding will benefit both Emirati and Australian energy companies in the development of joint projects and will enhance trade ties between both nations,” Al-Olama said.
For more information about the Australia UAE Business Council or to request a prospectus, go to www.ausuaebc.com.
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Australia UAE Business Council Renewable and Alternative Energies (R&AE)
Working Group Co-Chairs
Mr Przemek Lupa – R&AE Working Group UAE Co-Chair
Head, Development & Investment (Asia Pacific), Masdar
As Head, Development & Investment, for the Asia Pacific region, Przemek Lupa is responsible for growing Masdar’s business in Asia (excluding India) and Australia. He joined Masdar in 2019 after heading power operations in Asia and the Middle East for Fluor, a major global engineering firm.
Przemek has been working in the power sector for two decades, predominantly with Engie, a major global energy company. His extensive experience covers both conventional power and renewable energy, and his roles include being country manager for Engie in the Philippines, VP strategy at corporate level, SVP for business development in Asia, and CEO at asset level in the Middle East. His experience touches all key fields of the power sector, including project financing, development, operations and management.
With more than 15 years’ experience in the ASEAN region, Przemek knows the region extremely well and is acquainted with the various countries, market setups, and key players in Asia.
Mr Sam Pearce – R&AE Working Group Australian Co-Chair
Partner, Global Infrastructure Team, QIC
Sam joined the QIC GI team in May 2020 to build further its asset management capabilities across the energy and utilities businesses. In addition to direct asset management responsibilities, he has sector asset management oversight and will develop further the asset management framework across QIC’s interests in energy and utilities.
Sam has around 31 years of industry experience in the energy and utilities sectors, spanning operations, investment management, corporate development and strategy, and transaction execution responsibilities. He has worked in merchant energy, gas distribution, power generation (gas and renewables), and electricity and gas transmission primarily in Australia and New Zealand. Prior to joining QIC, Sam held executive and senior management roles at APA Group, Stockland and AGL. Before moving into the energy industry, he was a lawyer at Clayton Utz with transactional, antitrust and corporate finance experience.
He has led multiple cross functional project teams across greenfield energy developments in gas transmission and power generation (renewables and gas), public market M&A as well as multiple trade sales of assets across the energy value chain. In addition to his transactional experience, Sam has led large business units across multiple Australian states in gas distribution and power generation, with primary responsibility for commercial, operational and financial performance, customer relationships and growth.