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Team

Our team of dedicated individuals have a wealth of experience in Africa and the power sector. They are committed to Gridworks’ mission and the opportunities we develop and invest in.

Helen Tarnoy

Chairman

Helen is the Chairman of Gridworks, and is widely known and respected across the African continent by both host governments, development finance institutions and multilaterals. She has worked at board and senior management levels for over twenty years, firstly in M&A and then in the power industry. After working for the AES Corporation on privatisations in Hungary, she rose to become CEO of the national power company in Cameroon, where she lived for two and a half years. In 2004, she co-founded Aldwych International, one of the most successful Africa-focused IPP developers. Helen has a wealth of corporate and project finance experience, is a seasoned negotiator and public speaker. Helen has an MA from Oxford in Modern Languages.

Simon Hodson

Chief Executive Officer

Simon is the Chief Executive Officer of Gridworks. Simon has a wealth of experience making and managing direct investments in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Prior to Gridworks, Simon held leadership roles at a London based family office and 11 years with IPS (part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development) based in Paris, as well as establishing investment businesses on the ground in Cyprus and Cuba and worked for CDC Group in his early career. Simon is a Natural Sciences graduate of King's College, London and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.  

Graham Nicoll

Non-Executive Director

Graham is a Non-Executive Director at Gridworks. He is an experienced commercial leader and asset manager with an engineering background and has hands-on international experience of developing energy businesses, M&A and operations within the utility, technology and energy services sectors. Graham has held various senior roles with National Grid Plc and has been involved in projects establishing new companies to take advantage of technology changes in electricity metering and building commercial and technical frameworks for large infrastructure projects. He has a breadth of experience of strategic activities around achieving growth and organisational development.

Stewart Hicks

Non-Executive Director

Stewart is a Non-Executive Director at Gridworks. Stewart previously worked for GIC (the Singapore government sovereign wealth fund) based in Singapore as part of their portfolio group, sitting on boards in India, China and the UK. Prior to GIC, Stewart worked for IFC, based in Washington DC, reviewing projects in the manufacturing area and spending 18 months in their office in Chengdu, China. Outside of Gridworks Stewart is a Senior Advisor for Bamboo Capital Partners where he is managing investments in off grid electrification in Africa and Haiti. Stewart has a Physics degree from Oxford and an MBA from the London Business School.

Chris Chijiutomi

CDC Representative

Chris is a Director and Head of Infrastructure Equity at CDC Group, covering both Africa and South Asia. He has over 20 years of infrastructure and utility experience in Europe and Africa across power, water, and transport sectors. Prior to joining CDC, Chris was a founding member of the pioneer ARM-Harith Infrastructure Fund (ARMHIF), a West African focused infrastructure development fund based in Nigeria. While at ARMHIF, Chris closed several power equity investments in Nigeria and in Ghana. He has held senior operational and commercial roles at RWE Thames Water and at Veolia Environment, based in the UK. Chris is a Chartered Engineer and holds an MEng in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Surrey, as well as a CMS (General Management) from Kingston University.

Dr Snowy Khoza

Non-Executive Director

Snowy is a Non-Executive Director at Gridworks. She is currently group CEO and former Executive Chairperson of Bigen Group, one of Africa’s leading infrastructure development consultancies. Bigen provides financial, development, environmental and other services across a wide range of vital infrastructure sectors. Snowy has 30 years in senior management and board positions in the public and private sectors, mainly in South Africa. She has a strong understanding of African markets and her effectiveness as a business strategist has earned her numerous international and national business awards. Snowy was a senior executive at the Development Bank of Southern Africa before joining Bigen Group. She has served on the boards of many companies and institutions, including Ubank, Stats SA, and the South African National Housing Financing Corporation.