Our people are important to us
Meet Our BNRG Team
Company culture
It takes a special kind of person to set out to change the world, which is what makes our BNRG family special. Each member of our team shares a profound belief that the future of energy is solar.
As for our business philosophy, while we’re aware that our success in financing and operating solar farms across multiple territories is something few companies have matched, we are still at the start of the journey towards global net-zero carbon energy supply. We’re proud of the role we’re playing in leading the way towards clean, green affordable energy for all.
That’s why at BNRG we put our partnerships — with landowners, local developers, communities, construction and technology partners — at the heart of everything we do. This is a decades-long journey, and we’re taking it together, cultivating long-standing partnerships with passionate and likeminded businesses and individuals.
Within our team and within our partnerships, we balance idealism with realism: affordable, reliable electricity is the only kind that will satisfy all stakeholders, from investors to grid operators to end customers. We keep our focus on delivering that reliability with solar, marshalling both new and emerging technologies, and always staying flexible, so that rapid change becomes a tool we use, never an obstacle.
Get to know us even better
Get to know us even better
Board of Directors
David Maguire
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
A scientist by training, David is a founder member of the European trade body, AFASE and Chair of the Irish trade body, ISEA. Prior to founding BNRG, he spent over 13 years as an environmental consultant in the private and public sectors, including several years in R&D for the EPA in Ireland. In additional to overall operations of the business, David focuses on the US and European markets and technology selection.
Nicolas Holman
Chief Development Officer
Nick’s background is in finance, having spent 17 years working in Asia, Europe and the Middle East for HSBC. In 2013, Nick took over from his father Neil Holman who founded BNRG with Nick’s school friend, David in 2007. Nick is currently focused on business development in the UK, Australia and a number of key markets in the US.
Paul McGowan
Non-Executive Chairman
Paul is a Chartered Accountant and a business graduate of Trinity College Dublin. He was a taxation partner in KPMG Dublin for 27 years, specialising in financial services and became the global leader for KPMG in that sector. Paul is a member of BNRG Audit & Risk and Remuneration Committees.
Mike Quinn
Non-Executive Director
Currently the CEO at Doncasters Group, Mike was previously the Group Chief Executive Officer and Director at Ervia, the Irish State gas and water utility. Mike joined the BNRG Board in 2019. Prior to his Ervia role, he served as the CEO at Bord na Móna plc. Mike is a member of BNRG Remuneration Committee.
Nicola Waters
Non-Executive Director
With a background in engineering and an MBA from London Business School, Nicola has over 12 years’ experience across multiple disciplines in renewable energy. This includes leading the delivery of 250MW of solar, setting up a battery technology development team, creating and running an organisation that now operates and maintains over 1.5GW of solar in the UK, and overseeing the development of energy infrastructure to support data centres in Ireland.
Senior Management Team
Catherine Vard
Head of Finance
Catherine joined BNRG in 2019. She has extensive expertise in financial reporting and technical accounting, with over 10 years’ experience working in Ireland in professional services and in Australia for a leading ASX listed integrated energy company. Catherine trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte and is a Bachelor of Commerce graduate of University College Dublin.
Niamh McCabe
Head of People
Niamh joined BNRG in 2023 bringing 20 years of HR experience in the Aviation Sector where she was most recently SVP & global head of HR for AMCK Aviation. Niamh is leading the BNRG People Agenda with responsibility for people strategy, covering business partnership, leadership development, talent management, employee engagement strategies and change programmes. Niamh is a Chartered member of CIPD and holds a BA Hons in HR Management from University of Limerick and is currently in her final year of a two-year part-time M.Sc. in Organisational Psychology and Behaviour at DCU.
Dermot Hughes
Head of Commercial
Dermot joined BNRG in 2022, after eight years at ESB Group where he held a number of commercial and finance roles focussed on developing renewable energy projects across Ireland and the UK. Dermot has a background in banking and held roles in corporate banking and infrastructure and renewables at AIB. Dermot is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds a BSc in Economics and Finance from UCD.
Gareth Governey
Chief Financial Officer
Gareth is Chartered Accountant and a business graduate of Trinity College Dublin. He has 17 years of banking experience, having worked in London and Dublin, and was most recently Head of Global Banking Ireland for HSBC. He joined BNRG as CFO in November 2022 and his responsibilities include corporate strategy, funding activity, financial reporting and tax.
Peter Scannell
US Head of Operations
Peter has a background in mechanical engineering and an MBA from Cornell University. Over the past eleven years, and over 6GWs of solar projects, he has had Product Management, Engineering and Procurement roles at First Solar, M&W Energy and Signal Energy. Peter oversees BNRGs Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Asset Management in the US.
Richard Jackson
Asset Manager
Richard joined BNRG team in 2020 to develop a professional and dedicated asset management structure combining all of BNRG’s operational portfolios. He brings experience from offshore renewable energy sector and the rail industry for both product development and operations.
Projects Team
Elina McDonnell
US Programme Manager
Elina has been part of the BNRG team since 2015 and has gained broad experience in the solar industry, working across the Republic of Ireland, UK and US, in origination and development phases. Elina is responsible for delivery of 100 MW of projects in Maine in 2020/2021 as well as overseeing development of additional pipeline of 150 MW, which is expected to be constructed between 2021 and 2023. LinkedIn Email
Zebulon Wallace
US Programme Manager
Zeb joined the BNRG team to develop the company’s existing pipeline and support further expansion in the US market. He brings over 10 years of experience in solar development and project acquisition in the US. His enthusiastic, team-oriented approach helps overcome challenges and deliver results for the company and its clients. LinkedIn Email
Audrey Puleio
US Senior Project Manager
Daniel Moloney
Ireland Programme Manager
Daniel joined BNRG in 2019 and is responsible for the delivery of BNRG’s portfolio in Ireland. Previously he worked with the UK Power Networks Capital Design Team, and in Australia he worked as a Project Engineer for Canadian Solar, offering solutions during development, construction and commissioning of solar farms. LinkedIn Email
Jesse Nicholls
Australia Project Development Manager
An Aussie born and bred, Jesse joined BNRG team in 2020. He is an accountable and positive environmental, planning professional with over 15 years in both the private and public sectors in Australia and UK. Having brought 200MW to ready-to-build, originated over 100MW in NSW, and delivered Planning for numerous projects in in the Eastern States of Australia, he is adept at working with communities and regulators alike. LinkedIn Email
Ed McCaul
Senior Land Surveyor
Ed joined the BNRG team at the start of 2015. He is responsible for assessing sites that are being considered for development by the company and acts as main point of contact with many of BNRG’s landowners in Ireland. Email
Andre Lopes
Design Engineer
Andre joined BNRG Renewables in May 2018 and is responsible for design optimisation on all projects. Previously he worked with Fotovoltec in Brazil, designing PV plants from distributed generation to utility scale. He has extensive experience in working with and programming yield analysis and bespoke design software. LinkedIn Email
Simon Hickey
Project Manager
Simon has 6 years of engineering professional experience, both in mechanical engineering and consultancy. Following completion of an MSc in Renewable Energy and Environmental Finance, Simon joined BNRG as a Project Development Intern in 2021. He is involved in both project management and commercial appraisal of solar developments from origination through to energisation. LinkedIn Email
Gaetan Bolle
Investment & Financing Manager
Gaetan joined BNRG in 2022 and is responsible for building the investment case and financing solutions for projects across USA, UK, and Australia. Prior to joining BNRG Gaetan spent 8 years working in Corporate Finance within multiple big 4 firms. Gaetan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table given the work he has done on various infrastructure projects where he had significant exposure to renewable energy transactions. LinkedIn Email
Adam Farkes
US Head of Construction
Adam is currently running construction in the United States and supporting construction globally for BNRG. He has over ten years of heavy construction experience, including direct project coordination and site field management experience, and multiple years of solar experience. Previously, he has directed the installation of over 200 MW of solar PV projects and over 150 MWh of battery storage projects in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, and Rhode Island. LinkedIn Email
Todd Sikora
US Construction Manager
Todd joined BNRG as US Construction Manager in the fall of 2022, after working as a Commercial Solar installation Superintendent for various renewable companies. His work has spanned the East Coast and he has been responsible for overseeing the installation of 200 plus MW of solar. Todd has 15 years of experience as an electrician and 4 years of experience in PV site development and construction. He is responsible for contract management, including the management of the site based supervisory teams, monitoring of projects progress, construction and erection activities, including quality assurance and site health/safety. LinkedIn Email
Pamela Rawlings
Head of Procurement
Pam joined BNRG as Head of Procurement in 2022. She has many years experience in Construction Contract Management with international work assignment in 5 countries and successful projects in Solar, Mining, Oil and Gas and major Government funded and Nuclear projects. She is passionate about renewable energy and the negotiation of mutually beneficial business partnerships. LinkedIn Email
Conor McCarville
Finance & Investment Manager
Conor joined BNRG in 2023 and is responsible for building the investment case and financing solutions for projects across Ireland and USA, as well as assessing and executing M&A transactions. Prior to joining BNRG, Conor spent eight and half years in PwC, holding roles in corporate finance and asset & wealth management, bringing experience in corporate M&A and debt transactions for infrastructure projects. Conor is a Chartered Accountant and holds a degree in Business and Economics from Trinity College. LinkedIn Email
Sid Simon
AUS General Manager
Sid is an experienced business leader with an engineering background and has worked in a range of industries spanning utilities, oil & gas and mining. Over the past 15 years, Sid has been heavily immersed in the Energy sector and has worked for major players in the Australian utility space including AusNet Services, UGL, Transfield Services and Zinfra. Sid joined BNRG in 2023.LinkedIn Email
