Leadership
Board
With more than twenty years of experience, Laurence has been a Business leader and CEO in different business sectors from banking to consumer products to energy, chemicals and industrials, living in four different countries and leading businesses in over 30 countries.
Currently, Laurence is Chairman of Voltalia Renewables and a Non Executive Director and Chair of the Audit committee at Aperam stainless steel. She is also a Non Executive Director at SBM offshore and a Non Executive Director at Morgan Advanced Materials.
From 2007 – 2010, Laurence held the position of CEO of Castrol Industrial Lubricants and Services worldwide and from 2010 to 2013, Laurence was the CEO of Eoxis, a start-up producing power from wind parks and solar farms.
Laurence has a degree in Finance from Sup de Co Rouen- France, and an MBA from the University of Chicago (Booth) –USA from 1992.
Richard Charlton is Head of Infrastructure Equity for Africa and Pakistan at British International Investment (BII) (formerly CDC Group plc). He has more than fifteen years’experience in infrastructure in emerging markets, the last ten of which have been at BII; prior to this, he worked for PwC in the infrastructure and banking sectors.
Richard sits on a number of other boards and investment committees of BII investees in the power and ports sectors. Richard has lived and worked in the UK, Kenya, Malawi and India, holds an ACA from the ICAEW and Masters degrees from Cambridge and Oxford Universities
Paul has more than 30 years of experience in power industries across the world. Prior to his appointment on the Globeleq Board, he served for nearly two years as Globeleq’s CEO. Before that, he founded and subsequently sold American Capital Energy & Infrastructure, a private equity group focused on global investments in energy infrastructure investments.
From 2002-2011, Paul served as the CEO of The AES Corporation, a 30,000-person global power company with assets in 30 countries.
Paul is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Prior to beginning his business career, he served as a line officer on a fast-attack nuclear submarine in the US Navy.
Paul currently sits on the boards of two publicly traded companies: Ingredion, Inc. (NYSE: INGR) and AquaVenture Holdings, Ltd. (NYSE: WAAS).
Gunnar G. Løvås holds a Ph.D in mathematics and has more than 30 years of experience in the electricity industry in Norway. He is Executive VP in Statnett, the Norwegian Power Grid company, and is responsible for markets and power system development. Prior to that role, he was responsible for grid development, system operations, project development and investments, strategy and communication. He also led the construction of 2 x 150 MW gas-fired reserve power plants in Norway.
From 2014-2016, Gunnar was Deputy Director General in the Norwegian Railway Directorate, planning and executing large railway construction projects. In 2015-2019, Gunnar was a Board member of Glitre Energi (now part of Å Energi), one of the top energy companies in Norway, which held 2.5 TWh generation, grid, power sales, district heating and telecommunications. Since 2019 Gunnar is the Chair of the Board of Elhub, the datahub for electricity settlement data in Norway. Gunnar joined the Globeleq Board in August 2024.
Øystein Øyehaug holds an MBA from the University of St. Gallen. He has 20 years experience from investment banking before joining Norfund as an investment director in 2016. At Norfund Øystein has overseen a portfolio of renewable energy assets in Asia, Africa and Latin America with particular focus on restructurings and M&A activity.
He was co-founder of investment bank ABG and served as its managing partner in London until the merger with Sundal Collier, which created a leading investment bank in Scandinavia. He also steered the privately owned investment holding company UMOE’s effort to enter the renewables energy business in Canada and ran a renewables consultancy in Germany, before joining Norfund. Øystein joined the Globeleq Board in August 2024.
Diane Radley joined the Globeleq Board in July 2022. Previously she was a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers in South Africa where she led the Transaction Services Group, advising on local and international listings and corporate transactions.
In 2001 she joined Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd. as their Chief Financial Officer, serving as a non-executive director at Altech, BTG, and later Omnia, and WIPhold.
In 2010, after a three-year term as Old Mutual South Africa’s Group Finance Director, she took over the reins at Old Mutual Investment Group as CEO until the end of 2016 responsible for the management oversight of all asset classes including infrastructure.
She currently serves on various global boards as a non-executive director.
As Managing Director, Debt and Infrastructure for British International Investment (BII) (formerly CDC Group PLC), Holger has over 20 years of experience in development finance in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe across a broad range of industries.
Before his current role, he was with DEG, the German Development Finance Institution, where he was responsible for building DEG’s equity and mezzanine team and held various senior management positions. He previously worked as a commercial banker with Deutsche Bank.
Jonathan was recently appointed as Globeleq’s CEO. Originally joining Globeleq in 2010, and appointed Chief Development Officer (CDO) in 2020, he has been responsible for the origination and management of investments and leading the growth of the business by ensuring its strategy results in successful outcomes.
Jonathan sourced and led Globeleq’s efforts to enter the renewable sector in South Africa its first 240MWs of wind and solar PV projects in the country. He led the step up to a majority equity stake in Azito. He has led the business development across Southern Africa where he has helped Globeleq advance its position in South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia.
During his leadership, he has helped to secure the Temane gas project in Mozambique, which is under construction, and the Cuamba solar BESS project, which is the first solar and battery energy storage project, also in Mozambique. Jonathan serves on Globeleq’s Board, Executive Committee and Investment Committee.
Having previously worked for ABB Energy Ventures, Bear Stearns and InfraCo (of which he was a cofounder), Jonathan has more than 20 years of experience in the power, and other infrastructure sectors, working extensively across Africa, South-East Asia, India, Europe and parts of the Americas.
Executive Committee
Jonathan was recently appointed as Globeleq’s CEO. Originally joining Globeleq in 2010, and appointed Chief Development Officer (CDO) in 2020, he has been responsible for the origination and management of investments and leading the growth of the business by ensuring its strategy results in successful outcomes.
Jonathan sourced and led Globeleq’s efforts to enter the renewable sector in South Africa its first 240MWs of wind and solar PV projects in the country. He also led the step up to a majority equity stake in Azito and driven the business development across Southern Africa, where he has helped Globeleq advance its position in South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia.
During his leadership, he has helped to secure the Temane gas project in Mozambique, which is under construction, and the Cuamba solar BESS project, the first solar and battery energy storage project in Mozambique. Jonathan serves on Globeleq’s Board, Executive Committee and Investment Committee.
Having previously worked for ABB Energy Ventures, Bear Stearns and InfraCo (of which he was a cofounder), Jonathan has more than 20 years of experience in the power, and other infrastructure sectors, working extensively across Africa, South-East Asia, India, Europe and parts of the Americas.
Dhesen was appointed Managing Director, Asset Management and Operations in 2025, with group wide responsibility for leading operations and asset management.
He joined Globeleq in 2019 as Managing Director of South Africa’s existing assets. Dhesen led Globeleq’s integration of five operating renewable IPPs that year, implementing a 100-day transition plan, and was closely involved in the refinancing of six Globeleq assets (> USD450m) in the following years.
Dhesen has been investing in African infrastructure since joining the Macquarie Group in 2005. He has developed, financed and managed IPPs in SA and Mozambique across wind, solar, hydro, gas and coal technologies. His experience includes investments, post-acquisition integration, operations, asset management and exits for energy and infrastructure assets across Africa. From 2021 to 2024, Dhesen was elected as a non-executive director of the South African Wind Energy Association, serving as SAWEA’s chairperson in his final year as director.
Before specialising in the energy sector, Dhesen was involved in managing infrastructure funds, investment banking, project finance and financial services as an Investment Director at African Infrastructure Investment Managers, Old Mutual Alternative Investments and Macquarie. His early career was in investment product development and financial services.
Dhesen is a CFA Charterholder and Certified Financial Planner.
Marlise has more than 15 years’ experience in the African energy sector and has been with Globeleq since 2016, where she has been instrumental in significant deals and transactions for Globeleq (Brookfield acquisition, Temane gas-to-power, Cuamba PV solar and battery storage and the ongoing Mocuba acquisition). In her role as General Counsel, she is responsible for all aspects of legal, ethical and compliance issues and oversees the Company Secretariat. In addition to managing the legal function across the group, Marlise will continue to provide legal advice and support for all business transactions and contract negotiations.
Prior to joining Globeleq, she was Director and Co-Founder at Infrastream; in-house counsel at SolaireDirect (now Engie), and spent her early career in large corporate law firms in South Africa where she focused primarily on mergers and acquisitions. She has worked on projects in Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Eswatini, Uganda and Botswana.
John has 20 years’ experience working in the energy & infrastructure sectors. As Chief Development Officer, he leads Globeleq’s business development activities across the group and is responsible for leading the strategy and growth of the business. He successfully led the 450MW Temane gas fired project in Mozambique, and under his leadership, he has significantly increased the project pipeline for the company.
Prior to his time at Globeleq, John was a commercial and legal advisor in London and South Africa where he was recognised as a leading advisor on large scale energy projects and project financings and was involved in some of the largest LNG projects in emerging economies including in Qatar, Papua New Guinea and across the African continent as well as working on large scale gas fired power projects and other complex value chain energy projects.
In addition to his Globeleq role, John regularly leads training seminars with senior government officials and other stakeholders related to energy developments and financings.
John holds a Juris Doctor of Law degree from the University of Washington and an undergraduate degree from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. He is a member of the New York bar.
Simon Webb was recently appointed as Globeleq’s Chief Financial Officer and leads all of the Group’s Finance teams. Originally joining Globeleq in 2010 Simon has held a number of Finance roles within the organisation focusing on all areas of the business, including integrating acquisitions, building finance functions in newly entered jurisdictions, structuring new projects, Group and operating asset tax matters and financial control. Simon also served as the Group’s Investment Committee Secretary from 2020 to 2024. Simon started his career at Deloitte where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2008. He is also CFA charter holder.
As the Director of Strategy and Performance Management at Globeleq, AB advises the CEO and develops and implements strategic initiatives to drive the company’s growth and efficiency. In his time at Globeleq, he has led significant development projects, including a large-scale solar and battery development in Namibia—the first of its kind for Globeleq in that country, targeting sales into the Southern African Power Pool. He also played a pivotal role in developing the company’s Climate Strategy and assisted with other internal strategic projects.
Having previously worked as a management consultant in the UK, Europe and South Africa, AB has over 20 years of international industry experience focusing on strategy, sustainability, and business improvement. He holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering and an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.