Our people

Sam has a love of travel and new experiences, and uses many of these experiences in shaping the vision for Octopus Australia. Sam has had the opportunity to work in London, Edinburgh and just about every state in Australia, including a 12 month stint on the 3.5 million acre Brunette Downs, NT cattle station as jackaroo – and has the broken ribs to show for it! As head of the company, Sam focuses on culture and ensuring the Team adopt a continuous learning philosophy.

After running the Octopus Group’s renewable energy investment team in London, Sam looks forward to Octopus leading the charge in Australia’s green energy transition and getting more and more investors into the hottest sector in the world!

Jonathan joined Octopus Group in 2013 and has since worked on over c$1.4 billion of utility scale solar debt and equity financings helping to grow Octopus’s European renewable energy platform into one of the largest in the continent. Jonathan moved to Australia in 2018 to help establish Octopus Australia. He led the development of Octopus’s Australian renewable energy platform which owns and is developing over 5GW of renewables and storage capacity.

Prior to Octopus, Jonathan worked with Deloitte Corporate Finance Advisory where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Jonathan has a BA from Columbia University and an MBA (Distinction) from Oxford University.

If Darren isn’t shooting hoops or kicking a football with his boys out in the open, you’ll find him being involved in creating deals for renewable energy projects, bringing the same enthusiasm and drive. With over 15 years’ experience across storage and transmission he brings a wealth of knowledge into the Octopus team.

As Sonia hikes through the Australian bush admiring our green and golden landscape she is reminded why, after 15 years, she continues to love the renewable energy industry in Australia.  And now takes great delight in securing strategic renewable energy projects for investment by Octopus customers.

Eric, while new to Octopus as GM of Assets has 38 years of experience in Construction, Engineering and Operations, with the most recent 13 years in Renewables. He has a passion for renewables and driving for a cleaner energy future. He passion also spills over to bicycles, he loves to ride in all it forms. Mountain, gravel and road cycling are his tools of choice and always up for ride- don’t be surprised if you find him out riding around the renewable assets, explorer the trails, roads and communities!

Iain joined the Australian team in 2019, having previously headed-up the legal function for Octopus Renewables in the UK. Iain is a member of the Octopus Australia investment committee and is responsible for guiding the business on legal and commercial matters. He is our resident kiwi and has aspirations to become a pro surfer, which sadly due to age and lifestyle will never be achieved. He still lives in hope!

Sophie has over 10 years industry experience (funds management) and is responsible for Octopus Australia’s wholesale distribution. Sophiehas been with Octopus for 3 years and prior to joining, she worked in funds management research and key accounts distribution. Sophie is a CFA Charter holder.’

Tim is responsible for managing Octopus Australia’s institutional funds and investors.

Tim has over 14 years of funds management experience and prior to Octopus Australia, has worked at NAB, Quentin Ayers, AustralianSuper and the Commonwealth Department of Finance and Administration.

Tim has a Master of Commerce and a Master of International Business from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer) from the University of New South Wales.

If Darren isn’t shooting hoops or kicking a football with his boys out in the open, you’ll find him being involved in creating deals for renewable energy projects, bringing the same enthusiasm and drive. With over 15 years’ experience across storage and transmission he brings a wealth of knowledge into the Octopus team.

As Sonia hikes through the Australian bush admiring our green and golden landscape she is reminded why, after 15 years, she continues to love the renewable energy industry in Australia.  And now takes great delight in securing strategic renewable energy projects for investment by Octopus customers.

Born and bred a Melbournian, after 7 years working across the European energy sector with 5 years focusing on M&A/business development, Lee is excited to be back home helping to decarbonise the Australian economy. Lee is an Investment Director within the Octopus Australia team and is working to deploy client’s capital across the renewable energy landscape.

Brenton has over 15 years of energy industry experience focused on the project development and project management of large-scale renewables and electricity network infrastructure. Brenton is responsible for delivering Octopus Australia’s development strategy and driving the portfolio of renewable energy developments forward.
When Brenton is not delivering renewable projects, you’ll find him surfing, mountain biking and chasing his young kids around.

Mike is an avid golfer and loves to hack it around the course most weekends – all the gear and no idea. Having joined Octopus in 2013 Mike is a long-standing key member of the investment team with over 8-years of experience in renewables. Mike has experience across multiple technologies within renewables and has worked on over $1 billion of utility-scale renewable generation equity and debt financings across retail and institutional funds. Mike relocated from the UK to Australia in 2019 to help push the company to become a key participant in the transition of the Australian energy market.

Chris is an adventurer with a passion for enabling impact and for purpose capital. Chris is responsible for the detailed commercial and financial analysis of renewable energy assets covering multiple technologies. Experienced across M&A, debt and equity financing, development, and all things ESG.

Bowen joined Octopus in 2023 with a passion for the renewable energy industry. Prior to joining Octopus, she has had 4 years of experience in private equity focusing on consumer, logistics and fintech investments and portfolio management including strategising corporate-level growth plans. In her free time, Bowen enjoys reading about cutting-edge technologies, staying on top of emerging trends, hiking, and exploring the great outdoors. She is committed to living a low-impact, environmentally conscious lifestyle. Bowen is also a U.S. Certified Public Accountant.

Kristina joined Octopus in April 2023 as an Investment Associate.  Prior to joining the team, Kristina handled the origination and execution of long-term financing for the largest geothermal company in the Philippines. She moved here to Melbourne in 2022 to pursue her MBA. During her free time, Kristina loves to try out cafes and pastry shops scattered around the city then go to the gym or for a long walk to offset all the calories.

Jaryd joined Octopus in 2023, having previously held senior roles in the utility sector helping customers achieve their decarbonisation goals. He has a broad spectrum of experience developing, designing and building energy projects, and loves it when a good plan comes together.
At Octopus, Jaryd leads the development of projects in Victoria and is passionate about delivering positive outcomes for our investors and the regional communities we operate in. When he’s ‘out of office’ you’ll find him spending quality time with his wife and daughter, working on the house or enjoying a road trip somewhere in regional Victoria. 

Claude recently joined Octopus as a Senior Development Manager, bringing with him deep experience from the Oil & Gas sector in Development, Project Management, and Engineering. His enthusiasm for Renewable Energy is translated in his passion for road cycling, having pedaled over 40,000 kilometers to date, equivalent to the Earth’s circumference. When not at work, Claude can be found running his bustling young family household, volunteering, and enjoying a strong 3/4 full almond latte or two!

Steve joined Octopus Australia in 2023, after returning from Iceland where he pursued his passion for renewables, together with exploring the ‘land of fire and ice’. Prior to this, Steve worked in Australia on the project management and development of large-scale renewables and energy infrastructure.
 
At Octopus, Steve is responsible for the development of new renewable energy projects.
 
When Steve is out of the office, you’ll find him enjoying the outdoors, hiking, surfing and spending time with his family

With over 20 years of experience across the analytics and energy industries, Brent lives and breathes data. He strongly believes in the insights that can be created through a solid analytical foundation and how they can be used to better understand Australia’s evolving energy markets.
When not busy working, Brent enjoys travelling and exploring new places with his family.  Whether that is an Australian road trip to rural destinations or an overseas adventure to experience new cities and cultures. He also likes trying new restaurants and a degustation menu with a great view is always a favourite.

Swagata joined Octopus in February 2023.  He has 17 years of experience in the energy sector, with a focus on the energy markets, power generation, and water utilities in Australia and different Asian countries.
He has extensive experience in utilising the commercial market modelling software Plexos and Prophet to simulate various energy markets. His experience in the power and water industry spans a wide range of fields, including plant operations and maintenance, reliability, settlement software development, performance testing, commercial and contracts management, and overall business optimisation.
 
Outside of the office, he enjoys watching cricket and reading various kinds of tweets on Twitter.

Tom joined Octopus in December 2022 and is leading the offtake strategy underpinning our renewable energy investment portfolio in Australia. He has held a variety of roles in the energy industry and has advised some of Australia’s largest energy users with the strategic procurement of electricity and Renewable Energy PPAs. Outside of the office he is a keen surfer and likes to get away hiking for the weekends.

Ed joined the Octopus Australia team in 2023, with previous experience in the energy industry in market forecasting, retail and development.
Ed works in the Energy Markets Team across data, analytics and developing and securing offtakes for our growing portfolio of assets. He is most content when moving about – particularly by foot or rail – taking in both the natural and built environment.

Eric, while new to Octopus as GM of Assets has 38 years of experience in Construction, Engineering and Operations, with the most recent 13 years in Renewables. He has a passion for renewables and driving for a cleaner energy future. He passion also spills over to bicycles, he loves to ride in all it forms. Mountain, gravel and road cycling are his tools of choice and always up for ride- don’t be surprised if you find him out riding around the renewable assets, explorer the trails, roads and communities!

Kate has 9 years asset management experience in large scale renewable projects.

She is responsible for overseeing the asset management business within Octopus Australia, with a focus on contract execution and delivery, portfolio management, financial analysis and reporting.

In addition to her role in the asset management team, she leads Octopus’ ESG and Impact strategy across the business and its investments and is a member of Octopus’ ESG Committee.

She is also Qualified Chartered Accountant.

Suzie has worked in the renewable energy and infrastructure construction project delivery for over 10 years.  Her experience extends across all stages of the asset lifecycle including feasibility, masterplan, design, construction, commissioning, and operation; including landmark infrastructure projects with complex delivery models and stakeholder requirements. As a senior project manager at Octopus, Suzie is responsible for the construction phase delivery of our renewable energy projects.
 
Suzie is always keen to hear about a great place to eat or a new place to visit.  She will go to great lengths to track down all the hidden gems – whether it’s a scenic trail to hike, an off-the-beaten-path country bakery, or the best coffee in the neighbourhood.

John joined Octopus Australia in 2023 as Grid Manager with over 10 years of industry experience in the OEM, Developer and Network Service Provider spaces.
John is passionate about enabling the transition to renewables and is responsible for leading the grid team while providing grid oversight for the broader business.
When not looking at generator performance standards, you’ll find him on a road trip, trying out a new eatery or watching eagerly at the MCG.

Mark is an electrical engineer with 10 years in the energy industry. Mark joined us in 2023 after working at the market operator, a distribution network service provider, and a solar developer. He enjoys delivering technical analysis, complex problem solving, and working collaboratively with all stakeholders. In his spare time, Mark swims, cycles, and runs, and sometimes does all three and calls it a triathlon.  

Sid joined the Octopus team in 2023 with over 7 years of experience across various power generation technologies, focusing on engineering, project management, and asset management of projects under development, construction, and operations.

At Octopus, he will provide engineering support across all stages of the asset lifecycle and manage the construction of renewable projects.

In his free time, you will find Sid exploring new places, new adventures and challenging his fears. Sid enjoys spending time with his family and friends in Australia and overseas.

Kaushal joined Octopus in October 2023 having worked in various roles across the Renewable sector.
Kaushal has 14 years of experience across Grid Connection, Engineering, Construction, Commissioning and Operations of Solar Farms and have worked on one of the largest Solar Farms in the world.
At Octopus Kaushal will provide engineering support to the development team and manage the construction of Renewable projects.
Outside of work, Kaushal loves travelling, reading novels and chilling out with friends.

Sophie has over 10 years industry experience (funds management) and is responsible for Octopus Australia’s wholesale distribution. Sophiehas been with Octopus for 3 years and prior to joining, she worked in funds management research and key accounts distribution. Sophie is a CFA Charter holder.’

Tim is responsible for managing Octopus Australia’s institutional funds and investors.

Tim has over 14 years of funds management experience and prior to Octopus Australia, has worked at NAB, Quentin Ayers, AustralianSuper and the Commonwealth Department of Finance and Administration.

Tim has a Master of Commerce and a Master of International Business from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer) from the University of New South Wales.

Campbell likes charging up big hills to work off his dinner, but he’s also responsible for our fund management and operations. Campbell joined Octopus in 2017 and prior to joining the Australia team he worked in various operations and finance roles for Octopus Renewables in London.

Christen joined Octopus in January 2023, joining Tim in the institutional funds team.
Christen has 5 years funds management experience and prior to Octopus Australia, has worked at JANA Investment Advisers and Lazard Asset Management Australia.
Christen has a Master of Commerce (Finance) from the University of New South Wales and an Undergraduate degree in Architecture from The University of Technology, Sydney.
Christen joined Octopus to combine his interests in investing and the built environment.
Outside the office he spends most his time in the ocean.

Christian helps run the sales process to our mid-market advisors and family offices.

He joined Octopus at the start of 2022 with a strong desire to help accelerate Australia’s transition to a clean energy future.

Just as importantly, he’s a big believer in the unique and compelling characteristics of renewable energy infrastructure as an asset class.

Mark joined Octopus in January 2023.  He helps drive the sales process to our mid-market advisors and family offices.
He is passionate about bringing renewable energy products to investors and is a strong advocate for their function in client portfolios.
Prior to joining Octopus, Mark worked in Private Wealth Management for 7 years servicing HNW and wholesale clients.
Outside of work you will likely find Mark in his home music studio, on the tennis court, or watching his beloved Western Bulldogs.

Sylvia works in our Finance team where she is responsible for fund and corporate accounting, financial control, investor communication and AFSL compliance.

Prior to joining Octopus, she worked for Deloitte where she developed her knowledge and skills in accounting and financial reporting.

Sylvia has a Master’s degree in Applied Finance and is nearing qualification as a Chartered Accountant.

Michael has accrued 8 years of experience within the wealth management and financial technology space before making the jump into renewables when he joined Octopus in Jul 2022.

As he has a keen interest in Business Intelligence, he is currently undertaking the design and construction of a BI dashboard which will help to drive insights into how our assets are performing on generation and revenue levels.
 
Outside of the office, you might catch Michael either at the park with his puppy or at the race-track attempting a new personal best

Jonathan joined Octopus Group in 2013 and has since worked on over c$1.4 billion of utility scale solar debt and equity financings helping to grow Octopus’s European renewable energy platform into one of the largest in the continent. Jonathan moved to Australia in 2018 to help establish Octopus Australia. He led the development of Octopus’s Australian renewable energy platform which owns and is developing over 5GW of renewables and storage capacity.

Prior to Octopus, Jonathan worked with Deloitte Corporate Finance Advisory where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Jonathan has a BA from Columbia University and an MBA (Distinction) from Oxford University.

Iain joined the Australian team in 2019, having previously headed-up the legal function for Octopus Renewables in the UK. Iain is a member of the Octopus Australia investment committee and is responsible for guiding the business on legal and commercial matters. He is our resident kiwi and has aspirations to become a pro surfer, which sadly due to age and lifestyle will never be achieved. He still lives in hope!

James is responsible for overall management of Octopus Investments’ financial and accounting operations, as well as contributing to due diligence on investments and new opportunities.

James joined Octopus in 2021. His previous roles included working in Group Finance at The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Transaction Services at KPMG.

Elise has over 8 years of renewable energy experience in private practice (Herbert Smith Freehills and Linklaters (UK)) and in-house (AGL). Elise has advised developers, investors, lenders and contractors on all stages of renewable energy projects located in Australia and overseas, including onshore wind, offshore wind, solar and battery storage. Elise holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons 1)/Bachelor of International Studies

Damith is a CPA and started his career in financial audit and management consulting, he has over 10 years of combined experience in corporate valuations & strategy, finance, management consulting, and FP&A in a range of industries such as professional financial services, telecommunications, mining, and renewables industries – in markets across Europe, South Asia and Australia.

Damith’s current focus is on the financial modelling and business intelligence framework at Octopus.

When he is not fixing his gaze on multiple computer screens and spreadsheets, Damith can be found on treks exploring wildlife reserves, bushland and rockpools.

Edwina joined Octopus in 2023 with private practice experience in the Energy team at King & Wood Mallesons.
Before that Edwina was a Judge’s Associate at the Federal Court of Australia and a member of the General Counsel Division at the Australian Rail Track Corporation.
Edwina holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) / Bachelor of International Studies.

Irfan joined Octopus in October 2023 bringing experience from M&A and restructuring across various industry sectors. Driven to be a part of Australia’s renewable energy transition, Irfan is deploying his skillset through the suite of financial models at Octopus to facilitate impactful investments in renewable energy.
 
When he’s offline, you can find Irfan on a baseball pitch throwing a ball somewhat accurately and then at the physio for throwing too much

With over 25 years’ experience in office management and accounts Cheryl thrives on keeping the Octopus Australia office and team organised.

Cheryl is most at home keeping the office in harmony while also creating and implementing systems and processes.

Outside the office Cheryl enjoys outdoor activities anything fun and adventurous and spending time with family.