Leadership

GR

Graham Reid - CEO

Graham was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 18 January 2021. Under his leadership the company has undergone a significant transformation, streamlining operations, redefining its strategy, and aligning resources for growth. Graham has been instrumental in positioning the company to become an Independant Power Producer and one of the largest Battery Energy Storage System developers in the UK.

Prior to joining SAE, Graham was CEO of RES Americas, and prior to that CEO of Arcadis Middle East, earlier in his career was the UK Managing Director and an Executive Board member of Hyder Consulting plc. Graham has a BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Westminster and is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers

SH

Simon Hirst  - CFO

Simon was appointed Chief Financial Officer on 25 April 2022 and has been instrumental in refinancing the company debt, managing cash, maintaining external stakeholder relationships and ensuring strong corporate governance. In the seven years prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Simon was primarily responsible for all financial and commercial aspects of the MeyGen project including senior creditor compliance.

Prior to joining SAE in 2015, Simon gained international blue-chip corporate experience at several organisations including ExxonMobil, Pepsi Cola, Iron Mountain and international power generation company InterGen. Simon is a Chartered Management Accountant and holds a BSc (Hons) from Aston University.

DT

David Taaffe - COO

David was appointed Chief Operating Officer in June 2022 having previously being responsible for project development and delivery since joining SAE in 2011. David holds overall responsibility for SAE’s project portfolio including the origination, strategic development and project financing of a significant portfolio of Battery Energy Storage System projects. In recent years David has been instrumental in securing over £20m of critical revenue for the business, the acquisition of a 120MW BESS project and establishing a 4.8GWh BESS portfolio.

Prior to joining SAE David worked for several international consultancies and developers and successfully delivered large scale energy projects in Ireland, UK, and New Zealand. David has a BEng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering from University College Dublin.

SP

Sean Parsons - DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Sean Parsons is the Director of External Relations for SAE. Sean is responsible for all external engagement, spanning media, stakeholders and investors. Before joining SAE, Sean has worked with some of the largest energy companies in the world, including EDF, Siemens Gamesa, RWE and Statkraft. Most recently, Sean was Head of External Affairs for the GFG Alliance where he was a key member of the team that helped the Group establish itself as one of the largest industrial and sustainably focused companies in Europe.

Sean has been a key member of award-winning teams throughout his career, specifically his work in marketing campaigns, innovation projects and PR have received both internal and external recognition. He also completed his MBA in 2014.

AF2

Alex Free - Head of IT

Alex Free is the Head of IT at SAE bringing over 20 years of experience in technology leadership, strategic planning, and IT infrastructure management. Alex has been working to develop and manage IT infrastructure at SAE since 2016, aligning technology initiatives with the company's business goals.

Alex is an AgilePM Certified Project Manager with 10 years’ experience managing Europe’s biggest Apple & Adobe training partner. With a strong commercial and operations background, Alex has successfully lead technical teams to deliver IT projects and champion digital transformation.