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The Energy Transition Brief is your insider’s guide to the evolving clean energy landscape, brought to you by Green Giraffe Advisory. Each episode features…
The Energy Transition Brief: There is no single energy transition
The Energy Transition Brief is your insider’s guide to the evolving clean energy landscape, brought to you by Green Giraffe Advisory. Each episode features senior leaders and industry experts sharing sharp analysis, practical market perspectives, and clear commentary on the capital, strategy, and innovation driving the global energy transition.
In the debut episode of The Energy Transition Brief, Managing Director Pierre-Etienne Claveranne introduces Green Giraffe Advisory and shares his perspective on the current market landscape. He offers a clear breakdown of what we do, where the industry stands today, and what the energy transition actually means in practice.
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MEET THE TEAM
Our Advisors
Managing Director – Head of Green Giraffe Advisory London
Clément Weber
Wind Power List 2026
Clément is a founding partner of Green Giraffe Advisory. Based in London, where he established the firm’s office in 2011, he brings extensive expertise across the offshore and onshore wind sectors, advising on both equity and debt financing. Between 2017 and 2019, he led the Paris office before returning to London to support the firm’s continued growth.
He is a recognised thought leader in renewable energy and a frequent speaker at industry events, offering strategic perspectives on bankability, market dynamics, and commercial positioning for clients across the energy transition.
His transaction experience includes:
- Pioneering floating offshore wind and platform development: Clément specialises in structuring and financing floating offshore wind platforms and development funding across Europe, APAC, and the US. This includes successfully closing six development funding transactions for major floating projects (up to 1,000 MW) and leading Series B equity raises and tender mandates for pioneering technology developers
- M&A and strategic mandates: He has led multiple sell-side M&A mandates for offshore wind developers and oversaw the sale of a significant onshore wind portfolio. He also provides high-level counsel, having advised major utilities on strategy and intelligence and developed Green Giraffe Advisory’s offtake advisory capabilities, procuring renewable electricity across Europe for a major international corporation
- Benchmark project financing: His track record includes structuring complex debt deals and refinancing mandates for major European offshore wind assets. This expertise spans non-recourse debt and mezzanine financing for benchmark projects up to 367 MW (Walney) and 309 MW (Rentel)
Before founding Green Giraffe Advisory, Clément worked in project finance at Dexia in Paris (2008 – 2010), preceded by a tenure with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in Beijing (2006-2007). He is a graduate of École des Ponts ParisTech and holds an MSc in Project Finance from Université Paris X.
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
Managing Director Utrecht
Barbara Zuiderwijk
Tamarindo Women in Power list 2024
Barbara is a founder of Green Giraffe Advisory. She has a strong track record in the contracting and financing of onshore and (offshore) wind farms in Northern Europe
Barbara supported the development, contracting, and (re)financing of Northwind (216 MW, Belgium, 2012), Gemini (600 MW, the Netherlands, 2014), Veja Mate (402 MW, Germany, 2015), Norther (370 MW, Belgium, 2016 and 2020), Windpark Fryslân (383 MW, The Netherlands, 2019), Baltic II & Co (1.5 GW, Poland, 2019), Windpark Zeewolde (322 MW, The Netherlands, 2020) and Deutsche Bucht (252 MW, Germany, 2021). She has been supporting consortia participating in several European offshore wind tenders as well as having been involved in other technologies such as the ground-mounted solar farm Duurkenakker (64 MWp, The Netherlands, 2020)
She is currently involved in raising financing for a portfolio of projects that combine on-site renewable energy generation with electric vehicle charging infrastructure and battery storage
Before founding Green Giraffe, Barbara worked at the project developer Econcern, and as investment banking trainee at ABN AMRO
Barbara is recognised in the top 100 most influential female business leaders in the 2024 Women in Power list
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
Managing Director Paris
Pierre-Etienne Claveranne
Pierre-Etienne is a founding partner of Green Giraffe Advisory and an industry veteran with extensive experience successfully guiding clients and closing complex transactions across diverse markets and technologies.
Over the past 15 years, he has built a track record of transactions globally, specialising in large-scale non-recourse and holdco debt financings, and M&A (buy-side, sell-side, and corporate fundraising) spanning a diverse portfolio of energy transition projects and platforms. His transaction experience is structured across three key areas:
- Strategic capital raising and energy transition: Pierre-Etienne leads complex capital raises for high-growth platforms focused on next-generation energy infrastructure. This expertise includes leading the capital raise for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), structuring multiple corporate equity rounds (Series A/B/C/D) for platforms, and advising on bioenergy and synthetic fuels. He also handles portfolio financing for major European developers and utilities
Benchmark offshore wind M&A and debt: He has overseen numerous fundraising efforts for major European offshore wind projects, including non-recourse debt financing for developments exceeding 1 GW in capacity. Key mandates include advising on major asset sales for offshore wind projects, managing platform M&A, and executing debt restructuring mandates. Before founding Green Giraffe Advisory, Pierre-Etienne spent four years in Dexia’s project finance team, where he closed multiple transactions across public-private partnerships, transportation asset financing, and renewable energy sectors, including solar, offshore, and onshore wind farms.
Pierre-Etienne graduated from École Centrale de Lyon and holds an MSc in Finance from ESCP-EAP Business School in Paris.
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
Managing Director – Head of Green Giraffe Advisory Hamburg
Udo Schneider
Udo is a managing director of Green Giraffe Advisory and co-heads the Hamburg office
Since joining Green Giraffe in 2015, he has advised on multiple sell-side and buy-side equity transactions, as well as debt raises and provided commercial contracting advice for complex energy transition projects at different development stages and in different countries. He is also providing advice on tenders and renewable energy offtake solutions
Amongst others, he has led the debt raise for the 1.2 GW Baltic Power offshore wind project in Poland (ongoing) and debt finance for an innovative geothermal project, supported developers in offshore wind tenders and headed the M&A transactions for the offshore wind projects TWB II (200 MW, DE, 2017), Global Tech I (400 MW, DE, 2020), and Gode Wind I (347 MW, DE, 2018) as well as the development, structuring and sale of a Polish 350 MW offshore wind project to RWE. He also supervised the M&A transaction leading to the creation of Alterric (JV ENERCON & EWE) and is contributing to establishing a new green hydrogen economy
Before joining Green Giraffe, Udo worked in the infrastructure finance and renewables team of PwC for 14 years advising investors, developers and industry players on several onshore and offshore wind projects as well as infrastructure and public private partnership projects globally
Udo holds a bachelor of business in finance from the University of Technology, Sydney, and graduated from Hamburg University with a degree in economics
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
- We won the Inspiratia Energy Transition Award 2024 for Best Financial Adviser – Renewables! Details
- Green Giraffe and Pekao Investment Banking advise on EUR 4.4 bn non-recourse financing of the Baltic Power offshore wind project Details
- Offshore wind – Auction designs and why PPAs are only second best Details
Managing Director – Head of Germany Hamburg
Kai Leverköhne
Kai is a Managing Director at Green Giraffe Advisory and heads the Hamburg office. He brings almost 20 years of experience in the energy transition and renewable energy finance.
Since joining Green Giraffe in 2019, Kai has led numerous landmark transactions in the offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, EV charging and battery storage sectors. Kai’s most recent achievement includes supervising the major corporate refinancing of EUR 435 M for EEW Group.
He has led several financings in the offshore wind space for Global Tech I, Baltic Power or Veja Mate, whilst also being active on the buy- and sell-side for offshore and onshore wind farms, solar PV platforms, EV charging, grid infrastructure, and BESS assets.
Prior to joining Green Giraffe Advisory, Kai spent 11 years at Deutsche Bank’s infrastructure and energy team (part of 18 years total at the bank), where he structured Europe’s largest solar PV project bond (€404M, Spain, 2016).
Kai has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Hamburg and studied at Aarhus Business School.
Credentials – Relevant projects
Managing Director Paris
Daniel Marshall
- 10 years with Barclays working in power, utilities and infrastructure
- 4 years living in Johannesburg, working across the Sub-Sahara Africa region
Credentials – Relevant projects
Senior Director – Head of Japan Tokyo
Jun Kasamatsu笠松 純
Jun is in charge of leading and managing the Tokyo office. With over 20 years of experience in renewables and investment banking, he has contributed to the development and realisation of more than 50 utility-scale renewable energy projects totalling more than 1 GW of installed capacity in Japan
Credentials – Relevant projects
Senior Director – Head of Singapore Singapore
William Jackson
Will is a Director and Head of Singapore office. He has worked on transactions and tenders across four continents, with a particular focus on offshore wind. Prior to joining Green Giraffe Advisory, Will worked at the oil & gas team of Continental AG, a multinational engineering firm
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
Senior Director – Head of Africa Cape Town
Frederico Sanches
Offshore wind | Onshore wind | Solar PV | Hybrid technologies
Frederico has focused on complex and cutting-edge transactions. He has led transactions in tender support as well as debt and equity raising globally with a recent focus on emerging markets particularly in South Africa and the broader African continent
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
Senior Director – Head of Australia Sydney
Marcus Dixson
Onshore wind | Solar PV | BESS & grid | Offshore wind | Hydrogen & e-fuels
Debt advisory | M&A: sell-side and buy-side | Tender support
Marcus heads the Australian office. He has experience leading debt and equity transactions across Australia and the UK. Before joining Green Giraffe Advisory, he spent 6 years at IDCM, a debt boutique in London. Prior to that he was at EY
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
Senior Director – Head of UK and Ireland London
Yusuf Thanawala
Yusuf Thanawala is a Country Manager UK & Ireland at Green Giraffe Advisory, responsible for leading and expanding the firm’s UK franchise. He brings more than 20 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance, including over a decade focused on the energy transition, renewable energy and power infrastructure sectors.
Yusuf has advised developers, infrastructure investors, private equity sponsors and strategic corporates on a broad range of transactions across solar PV, battery storage, onshore and offshore wind, EV charging, smart metering, biogas, district energy and grid infrastructure.
His experience spans IPP platform sales, portfolio disposals, minority and majority stake investments, growth capital raises, acquisitions and strategic partnerships across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Green Giraffe Advisory, Yusuf was a Director at Akereos Capital, where he played a leading role in building the firm’s M&A advisory franchise and advising on numerous landmark energy transition transactions across Europe.
Previously, Yusuf spent almost a decade at HSBC in the Power, Utilities and Renewables investment banking team in London and Dubai. He also worked at Credit Suisse in the European Energy team, advising clients on M&A, IPOs, equity raisings and acquisition financings across Europe, the Middle East and emerging markets.
Yusuf holds an MBA in Finance and a Master of Commerce degree from the University of Mumbai.
Senior Director – Head of Southern Europe Madrid
Raúl Santos Chozas
Solar PV | Offshore wind | Onshore wind | Hydropower | Hybrid technologies | Heat
Raúl leads Green Giraffe Advisory’s commercial operations in Southern Europe. He brings over 15 years of experience advising clients on energy transition transactions, with a strong focus on debt structuring, M&A and financing. Before joining Green Giraffe, Raúl spent 3 years at Astris Finance, and previously held roles at BBVA and ACS.
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
- Spain’s sleeping giant: Biogas, bureaucracy, and that Dutch blending obligation Details
- Navigating Spain’s dynamic energy market: Unlocking value and opportunities for investors and developers Details
- Raúl Santos Chozas joins Green Giraffe Advisory’s Madrid office to drive green ambitions forward Details
Director Hamburg
Ann-Katrin Weber
Ann-Kathrin is a project finance professional with extensive expertise in originating, structuring, and executing deals across the energy sector. Over the past year alone, she has successfully closed seven renewable energy transactions.
Before joining Green Giraffe Advisory, she spent 14 years at KfW IPEX-Bank. Her background includes managing portfolios of multi-billion-euro energy assets, alongside handling complex restructuring assignments. She combines strong analytical rigour and intercultural competence to deliver sustainable, long-term financial solutions.
Senior Director Utrecht
Jakob Bergvelt
Jakob Bergvelt is a Senior Director at Green Giraffe Advisory, with 14 years of expertise in renewable energy finance. He has been a driving force behind the execution of landmark offshore wind, onshore wind, and solar PV transactions across Europe.
Specialising in complex debt-raising and investment strategy, Jakob has guided clients through large-scale financial closings and competitive tender processes. His expertise spans the full project lifecycle, including advising consortia on bid structuring in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Poland.
Most recently, Jakob led the financing for the 1.14 GW Baltic Power offshore wind farm in Poland – one of the world’s largest – successfully reaching financial close for Northland Power and ORLEN. His extensive track record also includes milestone projects such as Gemini, HKZ 1&2, Norther, Zeewolde.
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
Senior Director Utrecht
Frank Janse
Frank focusses on complex leading-edge projects. He advised the winning Oya hybrid project in a technology neutral tender. As market leader for hydrogen & e-fuels he has worked on several power-to-X projects including the development of the 1 GW Nujio’Qonik onshore wind to ammonia project located in Canada. Besides, he is advising on the optimal plant sizing by combining a technical and financial model
Credentials – Relevant projects
Senior Director London
Michael Ware
Michael has been leading several deals, in particular in waste-to-energy, anaerobic digestion, solar and battery energy storage. Michael has a high profile in the renewable energy industry due to his work in the media and his role as part-time writer for the Spectator magazine
Credentials – Relevant projects
Latest insights
- The great European biomethane certificate gold rush: why bits of paper are becoming worth more than molecules Details
- Poles apart – why is the German biomethane sector so much bigger than the Polish one, and is this about to change? Details
- Is the answer to net zero just digging big holes and filling them with warm water? Details
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