Private equity firm Hudson Clean Energy forms advisory board

Private equity firm Hudson Clean Energy Partners has announced that energy and finance veterans Robert Catell, Michael Eckhart, Richard Green, Alexander Karsner, George Lindemann, Joseph M

Private equity firm Hudson Clean Energy Partners has announced that energy and finance veterans Robert Catell, Michael Eckhart, Richard Green, Alexander Karsner, George Lindemann, Joseph McConnell and Edward Miller will constitute the seven-member GP advisory board.
 
Catell (pictured) is currently the non-executive chairman of National Grid US and was appointed to the board of National Grid in September 2007 following the acquisition of KeySpan, a natural gas distributor, where he was chairman and chief executive for more than 20 years. Catell is an ex officio director and chairman emeritus of The Partnership for New York City, the American Gas Association and the US Energy Association, and is a vice-chairman of the National Petroleum Council’s Natural Gas Committee.
 
Eckhart brings over 25 years’ experience in renewable energy, power generation and finance, and is founding president and director of the American Council On Renewable Energy. Eckhart is also co-chairman of the World Council for Renewable Energy, a member of the Steering Committee of the REN 21 global policy network, and co-head of the North American Secretariat of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership.
 
Green has spent over 30 years in the energy industry, serving for 20 years as the chairman and chief executive of Aquila, an international gas and electric company. Green presently serves on the board of directors of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is chairman of Midwest Research Institute, which has a core focus that includes renewable energy.
 
Karsner served as America’s ninth assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy from 2005 to 2008, during a period of unprecedented growth in clean energy technologies, investments and policy formulations. Karsner brings 20 years of experience in global energy development and project financing across a wide array of conventional and renewable sources. Previously, he served as chief executive of the power development and consulting firm Enercorp, and both director and senior development manager for Wartsila Diesel. He is currently on the board of directors of Argonne National Laboratory, Conservation International and Applied Materials, a nano-manufacturer.
 
Lindemann serves as the chairman and chief executive of Southern Union, one of the largest natural gas distribution and transmission companies in the US. Prior to Southern Union, Lindemann was the founder, chairman and chief executive of Metro Mobile CTS, the nation’s second-largest independent cellular phone company until its merger with Bell Atlantic in 1992. During the same period, Lindemann was also president and chief executive of Metro Mobile Communications.
 
McConnell, a resident of London, has over 25 years of investment banking experience in both mergers and acquisitions and financing alternatives for financial institutions. He is a retired partner of Goldman Sachs and was also formerly head of European financial institutions banking at Lehman Brothers.
 
Miller was the president and chief executive of Axa Financial from 1997 to 2001, and subsequently served as a member of the supervisory board and as a senior advisor to the chief executive of Axa Group. Miller also served as chairman and chief executive of subsidiary Axa Client Solutions, and as a director of Axa Financial, Equitable Life, Alliance Capital and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Prior to joining Axa Financial, he enjoyed a successful 35-year banking career in senior positions at both Manufacturers Hanover Trust, Chemical Bank and The Chase Manhattan Corporation. Miller is currently a director of both American Express and Korn/Ferry International.
 
Hudson founder and co-managing partner Neil Auerbach says: ‘It is with great pride that we announce our highly prestigious GP advisory board, whose knowledge of, and accomplishments in, renewable energy, traditional energy and financial services are unrivalled. During this time of such extraordinary challenge and opportunity for our industry, we are fortunate to have access to individuals with such depth of experience and range of strategic vision.’