Our team
Eric SCOTTO, French, 41
Ma Paris Sorbonne (Fr.), Ma Cornell University (USA)
Eric Scotto, Chairman and co-founder, previously founded and managed Perfect Wind, which at the time was the 2nd largest developer of wind farms in France.
Before working in the renewable energy industry, Eric founded and managed several successful information technology companies which were eventually sold to leading corporations in the online financial services sector. Eric has a Masters Degree from Cornell University.
Patrice LUCAS, French, 43
Ms Ecole Centrale Paris (Fr.), Ms London Business School (UK)
Patrice Lucas, MD and co-founder of Akuo, is in charge of business and project development. He co-founded and managed Perfect Wind. Patrice has more than 15 years of experience developing complex, large-scale projects in the Utilities and Energy sector, and has held several positions in Japan, China, Continental Europe and the UK. In his last assignment at Alstom, Patrice was in charge of the procurement and supply chain for a major business unit commanding more than € 1 billion in orders. Patrice has a Masters Degree from Ecole Centrale Paris and an Executive Masters in Business from the Sloan Fellowship Program at the London Business School.
Benoît GALLAND, French, 44
Ms Ecole Centrale Paris (Fr.), MBA INSEAD Fontainebleau (Fr.)
Benoît Galland, CEO Akuo Energy, started his career in the energy industry before becoming the CEO of Dole Europe, where he grew the business to €2 billion in annual revenues. Benoit’s focus is on managing the Group’s rapid growth in its global environment. He also brings a strong background in agro-industries which is increasingly critical to Akuo’s success. Benoît has a Masters Degree from Ecole Centrale Paris and an MBA from INSEAD.
Brice YHARRASSARRY, French, 43
Ms INSA Lyon (Fr.)
Brice Yharrassarry, COO Akuo Energy, has 20 years of experience in the Energy sector. Brice is the former CEO of Technip Europe, the largest Oil & Gas EPC Company in Europe. Prior to that, Brice was Deputy CEO of Technip in the Middle East, successfully growing the project backlog to several billions of dollars. With his strong project management background, Brice focuses on project execution including contracting, construction and operation and on main contractual and technical risks.
Romain FOREST, French, 35
Ms INSA Lyon (Fr.), Ms EM Lyon Business School (Fr.)
Romain Forest, Managing Director of Akuo Solar, began his career as a high tech strategy consultant at Accenture. After Accenture, Romain started his own solar power company before joining Akuo Energy. Romain is in charge of developing the Akuo solar business worldwide. Romain has a Masters degree from INSA in Lyon and an MBA from EM Lyon.
Alain CASTRO, American, 40
Ms University of Texas (USA), Ms London Business School (UK)
Alain Castro is responsible for Akuo’s projects in both North America and Latin America. He was previously a Partner at Ernst and Young (E&Y) Consulting, where he managed the firm’s operations and strategy consulting services for the Oil & Gas industries in five Latin American countries. Since his departure from E&Y in 2001, Alain has been working as a private investor and projects director on various renewable energy projects and technology ventures, including wind, biofuels and hydrogen fuel cells. He has an Engineering Degree from University of Texas and an Executive Masters in Business from the Sloan Fellowship Program at the London Business School.
Gazi KALKAN, Turkish, 49
PhD Metz University (Fr.)
Gazi previously led the development of Perfect Wind in Turkey. He has a PhD in economics and worked for the Turkish Republic General Consulate in France before moving to the private sector. Gazi is now in charge of all Akuo Energy activities in Turkey.
Steve ARCELIN, French, 36
Steve, Managing Director of Austral Energy, Akuo Energy’s subsidiary in La Réunion Island, began his career as an independent consultant in real estate investments as well as financial and tax arrangements. Steve has a very good knowledge of the real estate market in French overseas territories.
Christian CHIARI
Former football player who trained himself to commercial management, Christian has developed these past years a commercial portfolio in the building and distribution industries. Aware of environmental issues, he created with Jean-Claude Venturini the Corsican subsidiary of Akuo Energy, namely Akuo Corse Energies, that he manages.
Frédéric GILARDONE, French, 47
Ms Paris Political Studies Institute (IEP) (Fr.), MBA Bocconi Milan Business School(It.)
Frédéric has led the development of several successful start-up companies within the Banque Populaire group in France and then moved to Italy with Natixis Lease SA Company, where he started their renewable energy project finance business. He developed a strong first-hand knowledge of the Italian renewable energy industry while he established Natixis Lease as a major player in Italy project finance sector. Frédéric is in charge of all Akuo Energy activities in Italy.
Alexandre Leymarie, French, 35
Ms Paris Assas University (Fr.)
Alexandre Leymarie is in charge of Akuo Energy’s activities in India. Alexandre was previously an investment banker with Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse before joining Poweo SA where he was Head of the Business and Corporate Development and started the renewable energy portfolio through acquisitions, essentially wind energy and hydro assets.
