Chair

Sir Dave Lewis

Sir Dave Lewis was CEO of Tesco, which he joined after 28 years at Unilever. Dave chairs Haleon, is a non-exec director of PepsiCo, Chair of the World Wildlife Fund UK, an operating advisor to CD&R, and a Trustee of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales. He was knighted in 2021 for his services to industry.

Vice-Chair

Paddy Padmanathan

Paddy is the Vice Chair and an investor in Xlinks. Previously, he was the President and CEO of ACWA Power, a company he led from a startup 18 years ago to when he stepped down in March 2023, which is listed with a market cap of US50+ billion, a world-leading developer, investor and operator of power generation and water-desalination assets and now constructing the world’s first at scale green hydrogen complex, a portfolio valued in excess of $75 billion, and with extensive experience in solar PV and onshore wind in desert environments across North Africa and the Middle East, including the largest solar power developments in Morocco.

GROUP CEO

Simon Morrish

Simon founded Xlinks in 2019, spearheading the concept and development of the Morocco-UK Power Project, before moving into the role of Group CEO, Xlinks Limited where he is responsible for growing the Xlinks portfolio of projects.

Previously, Simon built Ground Control Ltd, a highly respected, multi award-winning environmental services business looking after over 50,000 sites in the UK. He also founded Skyports Ltd, a leader in electric aviation infrastructure and drone deliveries. He was awarded the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award for Transformational leadership in 2018.

Simon is an ex-McKinsey consultant and Morgan Stanley Derivatives analyst. He holds a master’s degree with Distinction in Economics, Engineering and Management from Oxford University and an MBA degree with Honours from Harvard Business School.

Non-Executive Director

Sir Ian Davis

Ian Davis is currently Chairman of Thoughtworks Holdings Inc. He is also Senior Independent Director of Majid Al Futtaim Holdings and is an advisor to several private firms and nonprofit organisations.

From 2013-2021 he was Chairman of Rolls-Royce plc. From 2010-2023 he was Non- Executive Director of Johnson & Johnson Inc. and from 2010-2020 he was a Non-Executive Director of BP plc where he was also Senior Independent (Lead) Director. Between 2011- 2017 he was a Non-Executive Director of the UK Cabinet Office, of Teach for All, an educational non profit and Big Society Capital.

Non-Executive Director

Mark Budd

Mark Budd has been working with Xlinks since 2020 and sits on the board. Prior to joining Xlinks, Mark was a partner at TDR Capital, a top-decile European Private Equity fund, from 2005-2020 where he helped them grow from £500m to £8bn AUM while being directly involved in c£10bn of deals across the business services, financial services and consumer sectors.

Non Executive Director

Fabienne Serfaty

Fabienne is a business entrepreneur fiercely committed to net-zero and decarbonising the grid. She draws on 30 years’ experience in strategic consulting and impact investing, including McKinsey in Germany, the EBRD in London and the net-zero consulting firm she founded. Her expert focus is on systemic change and organisational transformation. She advises and invests in SMEs and Start-ups across Europe, mostly in the fields of e-mobility, renewable energy, and SaaS. She has served on the boards of multiple NGOs, including, in the UK, Clientearth Environmental Lawyers, Ashoka Social Entrepreneurs and the Fredericks Foundation.

Non-Executive Director

Roman Dudenhausen

Dr Roman Dudenhausen has more than three decades of experience in the energy, mobility and sustainability sectors, as an entrepreneur and investor. Roman is CEO of conenergy ag, which he founded in 1996. Conenergy ag has invested in a host of innovative energy companies across Europe and the US, including Xlinks Limited. Throughout his career, he has supported multiple international energy companies with growth and entry into new markets, such as ChargePoint, a leading EV charging network. He is an advisor to ZeroMission and Linse Capital and a partner at Smart Infrastructure Ventures. He holds an MBA, specialising in energy industries, and a PhD in energy economics.

Chair

Sir Dave Lewis

Sir Dave Lewis was CEO of Tesco, which he joined after 28 years at Unilever. Dave chairs Haleon, is a non-exec director of PepsiCo, Chair of the World Wildlife Fund UK, an operating advisor to CD&R, and a Trustee of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales. He was knighted in 2021 for his services to industry.

Executive Director (Group CEO)

Simon Morrish

Simon founded Xlinks in 2019, spearheading the concept and development of the Morocco-UK Power Project, before moving into the role of Group CEO, Xlinks Limited where he is responsible for growing the Xlinks portfolio of projects.

Previously, Simon built Ground Control Ltd, a highly respected, multi award-winning environmental services business looking after over 50,000 sites in the UK. He also founded Skyports Ltd, a leader in electric aviation infrastructure and drone deliveries. He was awarded the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award for Transformational leadership in 2018.

Simon is an ex-McKinsey consultant and Morgan Stanley Derivatives analyst. He holds a master’s degree with Distinction in Economics, Engineering and Management from Oxford University and an MBA degree with Honours from Harvard Business School.

Vice-chair

Paddy Padmanathan

Paddy is the Vice Chair and an investor in Xlinks. Previously, he was the President and CEO of ACWA Power, a company he led from a startup 18 years ago to when he stepped down in March 2023, which is listed with a market cap of US50+ billion, a world-leading developer, investor and operator of power generation and water-desalination assets and now constructing the world’s first at scale green hydrogen complex, a portfolio valued in excess of $75 billion, and with extensive experience in solar PV and onshore wind in desert environments across North Africa and the Middle East, including the largest solar power developments in Morocco.

Non-Executive Director

Mark Budd

Mark Budd has been working with Xlinks since 2020 and sits on the board. Prior to joining Xlinks, Mark was a partner at TDR Capital, a top-decile European Private Equity fund, from 2005-2020 where he helped them grow from £500m to £8bn AUM while being directly involved in c£10bn of deals across the business services, financial services and consumer sectors.

Non-Executive Director

Sir Ian Davis

Ian Davis is currently Chairman of Thoughtworks Holdings Inc. He is also Senior Independent Director of Majid Al Futtaim Holdings and is an advisor to several private firms and nonprofit organisations.

From 2013-2021 he was Chairman of Rolls-Royce plc. From 2010-2023 he was Non- Executive Director of Johnson & Johnson Inc. and from 2010-2020 he was a Non-Executive Director of BP plc where he was also Senior Independent (Lead) Director. Between 2011- 2017 he was a Non-Executive Director of the UK Cabinet Office, of Teach for All, an educational non profit and Big Society Capital.

Non-Executive Director

Dayae Oudghiri

Starting her career as an investment banker, Dayae has 360° experience of setting up and developing large-scale projects in the renewable energy sector throughout Morocco. She has also held multiple Non-Executive Director positions in listed and non-listed companies across the world.

Non-Executive Director

Greg Jackson

Greg Jackson is the founder of Octopus Energy Group, the global energy and technology company driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Launched in 2016, the Group now serves 7.7 million customers across 18 countries and operates a £6bn portfolio of renewable energy assets across Europe.

Octopus drives the tech-enabled green energy transition, innovating relentlessly to make energy better for consumers and the planet. Kraken, Octopus’s proprietary green tech platform, is at the heart of the Group’s growth and is now contracted to serve over 54 million accounts across the globe.

Octopus has attracted over $2.3 billion worth of funding from international energy companies, large pension funds and global investors, and has valued the company at around $8 billion.

Greg is a serial tech entrepreneur and has built and sold a number of successful businesses before starting Octopus. He is an angel investor in a wide range of start-ups, and is a key thought leader in the UK on issues related to energy transition, energy costs and innovation.

Non-Executive Director

Dr. Afif Saif Al Yafei

Dr. Afif Saif Al Yafei is the Chief Executive Officer of TRANSCO, a key company within the TAQA Group, entrusted with the planning, construction, and operation of high voltage power and bulk water transmission networks in Abu Dhabi and beyond.

With over two decades of industry experience, Afif is a seasoned executive who has held leadership positions in the energy, oil and gas, and district cooling sectors. His comprehensive expertise encompasses asset management, operations and maintenance, technical services, projects delivery, governance and business development. Afif has demonstrated his commitment to industry advancement by serving on boards of directors and management committees for various regional and international entities in the UAE, GCC, and UK.

Afif is a distinguished alumnus of UAE University, holding a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Materials Science and Engineering. Additionally, he has earned a Doctor of Business Degree from Abu Dhabi University. Complementing his academic achievements, Afif has completed the International Director Program from INSEAD and the Senior Executive Program from the London Business School.

Non-Executive Director

Omar Al Hashmi

Omar Al Hashmi is the Chief Executive Officer of TAQA’s Transmission & Distribution business, a position he has held since January 2024. In this role, he oversees the company’s diverse portfolio of transmission and distribution assets. Prior to this, Omar was Executive Director for Transmission & Distribution at TAQA, contributing nearly four years of strategic leadership to the organization.

Before his tenure at TAQA, he was Executive Director of Asset Management at Abu Dhabi Power Corporation (AD Power), where he played a key role in shaping the company’s transformation plan, structure, and governance. Omar previously served as the head of strategy development at Etihad Airways and Vice President of the Industry platform at Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala). Al Hashmi holds a Master of Business Administration from the London Business School and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from George Washington University.

Non-Executive Director

Sophie Chevalier

Sophie is VP Flexible Power Generation of the Gas, Renewables and Power Branch of TotalEnergies. Throughout her career, she has contributed to the evolution of the energy sector in France, in the UK, in the Middle East as well as in Africa. As a civil servant in France, she was involved in the design of the EU electricity market. Since joining TotalEnergies in 2014, she has been in charge of operations, development and M&A of various production assets.