BJORN Q. AASEROD

Founder and Executive Chairman, MPS Infrastructure
Executive Chairman, MPS Nu Egypt

Mr. Aaserod has 40 years of experience within the international infrastructure and energy sectors. Since the early 1990’s he has focused on executing projects, structuring ﬁnancings with a focus on project development and building companies. He founded MPS in 2017 after two years of design and concept development.

In 1994 he founded Cambridge Securities which specializes in project ﬁnancing with clients including BP, Shell and Chevron. Through Cambridge he has also worked on structured ﬁnance products including collateralized bond obligations (CBO) and acted as advisor to major corporations and governments.

In addition, Mr. Aaserod has founded companies active in the oil and gas transportation sector such as Navigator Gas (NYSE: NVGS) and Independent Tankers (sold to Frontline in connection with its IPO).

JAN HERRE

Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Herre is a German citizen with 34 years of work experience. He has vast experience in the African and MENA power project business, including both corporate management as well as all aspects of power project development, including contract negotiations, feasibility study development, project management and project execution.

Mr. Herre, as CEO of Semi Energy (2015-2023) was responsible for 1.9 Giga Watt of power project developments in Sudan and Libya. During his 8 years in Sudan, Mr. Herre was responsible for gas fired power projects in Port Sudan (378 MW), Khartoum (717 MW) and diesel and HFO generators in Darfur (65 MW). In Libya he was responsible for the development of two gas fired powerplants in Lamlouda (150 MW) and Sousa (600 MW).

Mr. Herre started working for MAN in 1986 and 1988 as a branch manager in Iraq and from 1991, branch manager in Syria. He holds a BA in business administration and economics.

HANS KRISTIANSEN

Chief Technical Officer

Mr. Kristiansen has spent 40+ years in the energy industry with a demonstrated track record of successful execution on major int’l projects, including 22 years in project positions at Statoil (20 years at the Project Manager or Project Director level). He held leading mgmt. roles on a variety of project types, including Shipping, LNG Terminal, FSRU, Refinery, Subsea Development, Offshore Platforms and FPSO Newbuild & Conversion.

Mr. Kristiansen has broad experience in all aspects of project management including organizing and launching major projects and overseas turnkey project management, construction and commissioning. He holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Chalmers University in Sweden.

ADHAM AZZAM

Senior Commercial & Technical Advisor, MPS Nu Egypt

Mr. Azzam is Senior Commercial and Technical Advisor of MPS Nu Egypt, supporting the project development initiatives of MPS in Egypt in Desalination, Water Treatment and related industrial set-up.

Prior to taking over his current responsibilities, Mr. Azzam was Founder and CEO of EgySolar, a utility scale solar projects developer and EPC contractor. He was previously Senior Investment Officer in IFC based in Cairo, Egypt and in charge of PPP transactions advisory in the MENA region with a focus on Egypt and North Africa. Prior to that, Mr. Azzam spent 16 years working for Bouygues and for Vinci Groups, where he gained significant experience in infrastructure projects both in the construction industry as well as on concessions.

Mr. Azzam has a deep knowledge in technical, operational and structuring aspects of infrastructure projects as well as implementation experience of projects with multiple stake-holders from the public and private sector.

Mr. Azzam holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD (France/Singapore) and a Civil Engineering Degree from INSA Toulouse (France). He is fluent in French, Arabic, German and English.

AMR ABOU EL SEOUD

Board Member, MPS Nu Egypt

Mr. Abouelseoud is an entrepreneur who has founded many businesses across the Middle East and UK. He is one of the founding members of Tejara Capital UK and Dubai, where he has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. He is responsible for the overall management of Tejara Capital, including all capital market deals, landmark projects and growth strategy, as he and his team develop the company into a leading investment bank in the UK. Previously, Mr. Abouelseoud managed The Investment Dar Company in Kuwait for 15 years and, before that, he worked with PWC and Ernst & Young.

Several of Mr. Abouelseoud’s achievements include overseeing an innovative global Islamic issuance of a Sukuk, which raised $100 million in the first issue followed by a second issue with structural enhancements with a value of $150 million. Separately, in 2006, he identified and played a major role in the acquisition of Grosvenor House Apartments, a prestigious building on Park Lane, London, which opened to the public in 2012 as luxury hotel apartments. Mr. Abouelseoud also identified, sourced and led a consortium in the takeover of Aston Martin Lagonda from Ford in 2007, and he continues to play a key role in the running of shareholder interests in Aston Martin Lagonda and where, through Tejara Capital, he more recently advised key shareholders on the Aston Martin IPO in 2018.

Since stepping down from the Board of Directors of Aston Martin in February 2021, Mr. Abouelseoud moved back to Egypt and has established several businesses in the fields of Manufacturing, Automotive, Real Estate and Infrastructure.

Mr. Abouelseoud holds a BA in Commerce and Accounting from Cairo University and is a Certified Public Accountant from San Diego, California.

MOSTAFA EL-SHIBINI, CPA, MBA

Member of Board of Directors, MPS Nu Egypt

Mr. El-Shibini has over 30 years’ experience and currently serves as the Chairman of Egyptian International Consulting Group (EICG) and Arab Consultants and Accountants (ACA), which are Members of MSI Global Alliance for Independent Legal & Accounting Firms. He serves as the group’s overall Business Development Partner and, in addition to developing the firm’s overall policies, business plan, marketing and financial targets, he also has direct supervision of all consulting assignments and corporate finance work.

Prior to EICG and ACA, Mr. El-Shibini held positions with major accounting firms throughout the Middle East, including as a Senior Partner with Price Waterhouse-Coopers and, prior to that, in roles with Arthur Anderson. He also has wide experience in project development and structuring companies in various fields.

Mr. El-Shibini also serves as a Board member of several professional firms and organizations, and specialized committees of the Arab Academy. He currently serves as Managing Partner of Redcon for Real Estate Investment and Chairman of Netherfield Greece and Netherfield UAE, and he formerly served as Chairman of Continental for Touristic Development and Chairman of Safir International Hotels throughout the Middle East region. Mr. El-Shibini is a Member of AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) and a Member of the Egyptian Society of Accountants & Auditors, and he received his MBA from Florida State University.

OLE J. OLSEN

Managing Director, Norway

Mr. Olsen has 30 years of experience in the energy industry successfully building large organizations. He founded Norwegian Petroleum Consultants (NPC) in 2001, a business which would eventually grow to 850 employees. In 2010, NPC merged with Engineering Partners and again in 2015 with Dovre Group (Nasdaq Helsinki symbol: DOV1V), where Mr. Olsen joined the Board of Directors and eventually became Chairman.

In 2018, Mr. Olsen co-founded Visual Engineering, a digital reality 3D content company. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Gothenburg Technical Institute in Sweden and an MBA from Nanyang Business School in Singapore.

BEN SWOMLEY

Advisor to MPS

Mr. Swomley has broad experience across the financial services, energy and investment management industries. He recently served as CFO of MPS from 2020-2022. Prior to joining MPS, he was with Citadel Global Equities where he managed a factor-neutral, long/short portfolio of Oil Service & Equipment stocks. Prior to Citadel, he was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley where he was an Energy Equity Research Analyst supporting the firm’s top-ranked Oil Service & Equipment team.

Mr. Swomley began his career in Investment Banking with UBS and Bear Stearns, where he worked on various M&A, capital raise and restructuring transactions. He earned a BA in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and is a CFA® Charterholder.

Team: Team