Project Description
Key Capture Energy is an independent developer of utility-scale battery storage projects ranging anywhere between 2 to 200 megawatts. Founded in 2016 and backed by leading sustainable PE firm Vision Ridge, the company now have a portfolio of projects in various stages of development across North America and are on track to install multiple projects in 2020.
The Roles
We began working with the co-founders of Key Capture Energy in July 2018 shortly after their investment from Vision Ridge. The first search we managed on behalf of the team was a Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for all long-term power origination and commercial activities (employee no.4).
The Solution
Jeff Bishop (CEO) had worked in wind energy his entire career before setting up Key Capture Energy and has a wealth of contacts across the renewable energy space. For this CCO search, Jeff wanted us to go far outside of the renewable sector and identify candidates with a broader background in the power sector that could bring something different to the KCE team.
We identified the candidate who landed the role within 10 days of starting the search – Nicole Wolf, an impressive originator who had executed $600 million of hedges used to secure financing of $4.1 billion for the development of four natural gas-fired power plants (3,560 MW) in her previous role – as well as providing a shortlist of other candidates for interview over the following weeks.
Our knowledge of the energy storage sector coupled with really understanding what Jeff was trying to build at KCE allowed us to identify the best candidates who could thrive in a startup environment despite not having worked in the renewable energy sector. It was also important to put KCE on the map (at the time, they had a small team and no projects) and deliver a compelling story to potential candidates.
Additionally, we flew out to New York to meet the KCE & Vision Ridge teams as the search began and ahead of further searches we successfully managed (Director, Asset Management; Project Development Managers; Business Development & Financial Analysts: Director, Pre-Construction; Project Manager)
The Result
Whilst we identified the best candidate quickly, the process of getting Nicole on board with Key Capture Energy was complicated and at times delicate, needing our full attention and eye for detail to make sure we all arrived at a positive conclusion. We spent a great deal of time with both Jeff & Nicole to make sure things were moving forward whilst managing the offer stage and navigating some challenging legal & contractual hurdles.
Testimonials
“Jon contacted me regarding a senior position in origination. He was remarkable to work with and always responded quickly to my questions. I would highly recommend working with Jon as he is diligent, dedicated and most importantly results oriented.”
“Jon has helped us construct an energy storage team in a rapidly changing and nebulous North American industry. He has gone far outside of the renewable industry network, bringing in front of us amazing (screened) candidates that force us into really difficult employment choices. He gets the culture we are working on creating, and understands the issues we are facing. He’s been great to work with.”