Francesco Starace, formerly CEO of Italian energy utility Enel, has joined Swedish private equity investor EQT as a Partner within the firm’s infrastructure advisory team. Starace led Enel’s strategic shift from fossil-fuel-based energy generation toward a greater emphasis on renewable energy sources, having headed Enel Green Power, the group’s renewables arm, from 2008 to 2014. He is Chairman of the Board of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All, a member of the Rockefeller Commission to End Energy Poverty and was appointed a member of the Board of Directors of the United Nations’ Global Compact in 2015. In his new role, he will serve as a dedicated advisor within the global EQT Infrastructure platform, working alongside more than 120 professionals, providing insights to support investment activity, portfolio companies and strategic initiatives. “EQT sees significant potential in accelerating the momentum towards net zero by driving decarbonisation of the power and utilities or transportation and logistics sectors. Having Francesco join us on this journey, with his decades-long experience within the energy sector, is invaluable to both EQT and our portfolio companies,” said Lennart Blecher, Head of Real Assets Advisory Team. EQT holds €119 billion in assets under management across private capital and real assets.
