Corporate Vision January 2017

12 CORPORATE VISION / January 2017 , Renewing Interest in Renewable Investment Quercus Investment Partners specializes in utility-scale renewable energy infrastructure investments. European CEO of the Year, UK and Co-Founder Diego Biasi talks us through his role in the firm’s success and its flagship fund. Created in 2010, Quercus is a specialised renewable energy fund which has so far raised Eur 200 ml through two subsidiary funds, which have both now been closed, with all proceeds having been invested successfully. Diego outlines the fund’s strategy and how it aims to ensure the best possible return on investment for its clients. “Here at Quercus out strategy is to consolidate assets in three big platforms: an Italian solar one, Italian wind one and a European (Scandinavia, UK and Italy) multi- technology one focusing on the wind, biomass and solar markets. The purpose is to optimise the return and deliver a biannual dividend to investors for at least 10 years. The strategy for the three active funds is acquisition of operating assets with three to five years of track record in order to ensure that all of our assets have long term proven success, which helps mitigate risk.” With offices in s based in Luxembourg, London, Milan and Rome and a team of around 30 staff, Quercus supports exclusively institutional investors from around the world. It is the expertise of these staff which Diego harnesses through his masterful leadership to ensure that everyone operates to the “The team at Quercus is made of very experienced Managers in the energy and renewable energy sector. possible.” € £ best of their ability and supports clients as much as possible, as Diego explains. “The team at Quercus is made of very experienced Managers in the energy and renewable energy sector. Each of the Senior Managers has on average 20 years’ experience in both the European and international markets, ensuring that clients get the best support and investment advice possible. “My personal challenges as CEO revolve around ensuring that I hire the very best talent on the market and that I support them to ensure that they fulfil their full potential. I work hard to ensure that I always listen to and get to know my staff, and that I work collaboratively alongside them in order to use their expertise to make the company go further.” Alongside his work at Quercus Diego founded a charity foundation last year to support poor children with critical illnesses, as he firmly believes that everyone has to give back at some stage, especially if they have had a lot of success in life. Juggling this with a busy social life which includes sports, visiting church once a week and meditating every day before work can be challenging, but he believes that being determined and working hard are central to being a top CEO. “In order to be a strong and productive leader you need to be highly determined, working productively for long hours (on average I work 120 hours a week) and sleeping for only few hours a day. Positive thinking and always being always highly focused are also key as they ensure that you are always looking to your goals and realising them.” Ultimately, the renewable energy investment market continues to develop and is becoming increasingly competitive, offering a wide range of opportunities for firms such as Quercus, as Diego concludes. “Overall, our aim here at Quercus is to become one of the top players in the renewable energy market worldwide. I will be launching new funds in the next two years to work outside Europe in order to achieve this ambitious target. “Personally, I have an equally exciting future ahead of me, as I believe that my charity foundation will develop a lot in the foreseeable future. In the first year it has raised over GBP 500,000. I will be able to help many children around the world though the foundation to give them the possibility to have a future as bright as I have, or even more.” 1612CV30