CEO Today Global Awards

59 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today Global Awards 2019 USA with the news of this distribution coming their way produced tears of joy that made all of us feel quite good that we created not just a sustainable firm, but a family of people that really is at our best when we take care of each other. I am quite proud of our team of 61 that have developed a “we” culture where we gang tackle all our opportunities and problems together. What were the biggest developments you faced in 2018? 2018 was a year of great volatility in equity, credit and energy markets. The shale revolution has had lasting impacts that have transformed the U.S. economy for the better. Lower energy prices, an improved balance of trade, displacing coal with cleaner burning natural gas and a wave of hiring and economic growth have put the energy sector in the positive spotlight as now the largest contributor to U.S. GDP. For ECP, this transformation has triggered a heavy need for new infrastructure to move, process and export all of this new production. And in the power sector, we have seen the dramatic shift away from coal and nuclear power generation in favor of natural gas and renewables. How have your previous roles and experience at Goldman Sachs impacted your current role? At Goldman Sachs I had the good fortune of working closely with dozens of the major electric and gas utilities and pipeline companies in North America. Advising on their corporate strategies and financing needs taught me the intricacies of a complex industry that would later serve me well in our investing business. One of the most important factors in achieving solid investment returns is the price you pay for an asset or business. Having built industry relationships over several decades has helped us uncover proprietary and negotiated deal situations that can lead to an attractive price being paid. Having lived through so many industry cycles related to regulatory changes, commodity prices, economic conditions and environmental policies, I have had the good fortune to learn from history, and I strive to position our current investments for success. What do you look forward to most in 2019? We have a number of mature platforms that we think will likely be monetized in full or in part given meaningful dry powder at alternative investment firms, a growing desire for pension plans and sovereign wealth funds to make direct equity investments in infrastructure as well as generally aggressive debt markets. Notwithstanding much volatility in oil markets, we believe our investments remain largely protected from these forces as we focus on traditional power generation, renewables, midstream businesses and environmental infrastructure. FIRM PROFILE Energy Capital Partners (“ECP”) is a private equity and credit investor focused on existing and new-build energy infrastructure projects. ECP is led by a team of highly experienced investment professionals, many of whom have been investing together over the last 20+ years. With over 500 years of collective experience working and investing within the energy industry across their entire team, ECP has built a wealth of strategic relationships, which ECP believes significantly enhances the flow of potential investment opportunities. Energy Capital Partners seeks stable, contracted or fee-based businesses that help to mute the volatility of returns often associated with commodity-oriented businesses. ECP believes in creating a targeted and balanced portfolio of investments that capitalize on multiple investment themes, sector trends, and future scenarios across varying economic, policy, capital, and commodity market conditions. Energy Capital Partners concentrate their investments in five key areas: traditional power generation, renewable power generation, midstream, environmental infrastructure, and opportunistic energy situations while avoiding the more volatile energy subsectors, like exploration and production. Over its 13-year history, ECP has invested in 45 platforms. With the nearly $20 billion in capital commitments from our global LP base of over 600 investors, we have owned 167 power plants, representing over 45,000 MWs and executed 20 midstream transactions owning 3,400 miles of pipeline. ESG Responsibility ESG is a critical part of Energy Capital Partner’s value-add, operational approach. ECP’s extensive asset ownership drives an operational mindset; safety, reliability, and environmental stewardship are core values. More than 25,000 employees have been a part of the Energy Capital Partners portfolio companies. It is essential they are treated fairly with significant opportunity for growth while governing the affairs of their companies in an honest and transparent manner. ECP actively invests around the notion of displacing thermal coal, and is committed to job creation, balancing a culture of safety and sharing of best practices throughout their portfolio companies. Q Q Q