Francesco Starace (former Enel CEO) joins EQT Infrastructure, €113 bln Private Equity swedish fund

EQT is pleased to announce the appointment of Francesco Starace as Partner within the EQT Infrastructure Advisory Team. In his role, Francesco will provide senior insight to support investment activity, portfolio companies and strategic initiatives. 

With a career in the energy sector spanning four decades, Francesco brings a wealth of industry experience from senior leadership positions, advisory boards, NGOs and public policy. As CEO of Enel, he was instrumental in driving the company’s efforts to phase out fossil-fueled energy production and invest in digital technologies, transforming it into one of the world’s largest renewable energy producers and the largest system of digitized electricity distribution grids.

Prior to becoming CEO of Enel, he headed Enel Green Power, the group’s renewable power generation company and a leading player in the global renewables industry from 2008 to 2014. In November 2010, he oversaw the initial public offering of the company and its listing on the Milan and Madrid Stock Exchanges with a market capitalization of €8 billion. Francesco is Chairman of the Board of the United Nations’ Sustainable Energy for All, a member of the Rockefeller Commission to End Energy Poverty and, in 2015, former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed him as a member of the Board of Directors of the United Nations’ Global Compact. 

Lennart Blecher, Partner and Head of the Real Assets Advisory Team, said, “We are honored to welcome Francesco to join EQT Infrastructure as Partner. Francesco is a world-recognized thought leader in the area of energy transition and has led Enel to become a front runner in sustainable energy production. EQT sees significant potential in accelerating the momentum towards net-zero by driving decarbonization of the power and utilities or transportation and logistics sectors. Having Francesco join us on this journey, with his decades-long experience within the energy sector, is invaluable to both EQT and our portfolio companies.”

Francesco Starace, incoming Partner within the EQT Infrastructure Advisory Team, said, “The industrial transition pathway to net-zero is a gradual process that takes time and requires significant investment. This transition, if well managed, opens very large opportunities for value creation to those that understand its dynamics. Having observed EQT Infrastructure closely for years, I am deeply impressed by its level of innovation and commitment to support companies that help accelerate this transformational shift. I’m delighted to join EQT and I hope that my experience and network will contribute to the portfolio and unlock new investment opportunities.”

EQT is a global purpose investment organization with €113 billion of assets under management in two business segments: Private Capital and Real Assets. EQT's funds own companies and businesses in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, supporting them in delivering sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. EQT Real Assets supports the energy transition and the transition of infrastructure towards sustainable solutions.