Belltown Power Management Team | Belltown Power

OUR TEAM

WE ARE BELLTOWN POWER

The UK Belltown Power management team of development, investment, and operations specialists have collectively worked on over 5GW of renewable energy projects worldwide. Get to know them by clicking on their photos below.

Andy

Black

Founder & Director and COO

Antoine

Vandenborre

Junior Development Manager

Ben

Thorne

Development Manager

Cherry

Hall

Senior Development Manager

Charles

Webster

Legal Counsel

Daniel

Morgan

Development Manager

Eleanor

Harman

Junior Development Manager

Fraser

Shepherd

Development Manager

Ilie

Bivol

Development Manager

James

Grey

Commercial Director

Joel

Hutchinson

Chief Development Officer

Lawrence

Cox

Lead Development Manager

Louis

Kirkup

Development Manager

Max

Hale

Accounts & Development Assistant

Megan

McNeill

Development Manager

Michael

Kaplan

Founder & Director

Nhung

Tran

Head of Finance

Paul

Hewett

CEO

Peter

Thomas

Technical Director

Ruth

Luckins

Junior Development Manager

Simon

Smith

Head of Systems and Software

Steve

Hayes

Senior Grid Manager

Tom

Hill-Norton

Founder & Director

Tom

Roberts

Senior Associate

William

Primarolo

Development Manager

William

Rupp

Junior Development Manager

Andy Black

Founder & Director and COO, Belltown Power UK

Andy is Founder, Director and COO of Belltown Power UK and is responsible for all operational aspects of our new UK activities. Andy co-founded Belltown Power in 2013 alongside Mike Kaplan and Tom Hill-Norton.

Andy has over 20 years of experience in the renewable energy industry. He started his career working for DNV-GL, the world’s leading independent renewable energy consultancy, where he provided a wide range of technical and project management services across most major markets throughout the world, leading to the successful deployment of over 5GW of installed capacity. In the four years before starting Belltown, Andy set up and ran the Project Development Service Group at DNV-GL providing turnkey and bespoke Project development services to UK developers.

Andy has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and Management from Birmingham University, UK.

Antoine Vandenborre

Junior Development Manager

Antoine joined Belltown in 2023 as a Junior Development Manager, having completed his MSc in Climate Change Science and Policy at King’s College London. Antoine’s focus is on new onshore wind projects in Scotland and Wales, while lending support on the wider solar and wind pipeline. He has a personal interest in community involvement and landowner engagement.

Prior to this, Antoine has worked in the reforestation sector and completed his BSc in cellular biology and neuroscience at McGill University in Montreal

Ben Thorne

Development Manager

Ben joined Belltown in 2021 and is a Development Manager for Belltown Power UK, currently focussed on our Scottish wind pipeline. Alongside supporting project development, Ben is managing the wind measurement campaign across the portfolio and improving geospatial processes and tools for Belltown’s work. While studying at the University of Bristol for an MEng in Engineering Design, Ben specialised in renewable energy.

Cherry Hall

Senior Development Manager

Cherry is a Senior Development Manager for Belltown Power UK currently focused on utility scale ground mounted solar projects across the UK. She has over 10 years’ experience in the renewable energy industry, particularly in large scale solar development. This began with managing specialist engineering services on site during the construction phase. Most recently she has worked with Landowners and DNO’s to secure land for solar development with connection capacity to the distribution network. Cherry holds an Honours Degree in Business Studies from Sheffield Hallam University and an NVQ Level 7 in Strategic Management and Leadership.

Charles Webster

Legal Counsel

Charles is a corporate lawyer with over 10 years of experience advising on renewable energy projects in the UK and abroad. He has worked in private practice in Australia and the UK, including as part of the corporate legal team at Withers LLP in London for four years. In 2012 Charles became General Counsel of Green Hedge which developed and financed over 20 utility-scale solar farms. Charles joined Belltown as General Counsel in 2016 and manages Belltown’s legal affairs. He is also involved in project development, acquisitions, financings, and disposals, as well as assisting with asset management and investor relations. Charles is dual qualified and admitted as a solicitor in England and Australia. Charles has a B.Laws from the University of Technology in Sydney.

Daniel Morgan

Development Manager

Daniel is a Development Manager for Belltown Power UK focussed on onshore wind projects in Scotland.

After originally leading on site identification when he joined in 2019 he has since been concentrating on progressing these projects from origination through to completion securing grid connections, advancing planning applications and negotiating land agreements.

Daniel brings further valuable experience through automation & GIS operation, implementing various in-house tools and processes, advancing Belltown’s development capabilities.

Daniel holds a MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bristol where he specialised in Renewable Energy.

Eleanor Harman

Junior Development Manager

Eleanor joined Belltown as a Junior Development Manager after completing her Master's Degree in Engineering Design (University of Bristol). Whilst studying her MEng, Eleanor focused her dissertation on decarbonising the supply chain of a food delivery service, via the integration of on-site renewables.

At Belltown, Eleanor is focused on helping to develop onshore wind projects in Scotland and Wales, while providing support to the wider team on ongoing projects. Prior to this, Eleanor worked in the manufacturing sector, designing additive manufacturing machines through a circular economy approach.

Fraser Shepherd

Development Manager

Fraser joined Belltown in 2016 soon after graduating from the University of Bristol with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Fraser has worked on solar, wind, hydro, and battery assets in both performance analysis and asset management role and currently manages one hydro scheme, one solar site, and two Tesla batteries. In addition to his asset management role, Fraser continues to perform in-depth performance analysis such as operational yield estimates and develop analysis tools to provide a greater understanding of asset performance and potential areas for optimization.

Ilie Bivol

Development Manager

Ilie is a Development Manager for Belltown Power UK currently focused on developing green hydrogen projects across the UK. He has 3 years of prior engineering experience in the tidal energy sector, and holds an Engineering Doctorate in Offshore Renewable Energy (jointly awarded by the Universities of Exeter, Edinburgh, and Strathclyde) and a BSc in Renewable Energy from the University of Exeter.

James Grey

Senior Development Manager

James is a Senior Development Manager for Belltown Power UK and leads our Welsh development efforts.

James joined Belltown in 2016 as an Associate and then Senior Associate in Belltown’s investment team. During that period, James led or supported the successful wind, solar, and storage transactions totaling over 200MW and continues to oversee the new and existing fund and venture investments on behalf of Belltown’s investment partners. Since 2019, James has been responsible for identifying and progressing Belltown’s unsubsidized onshore wind development pipeline in Wales, as well as providing commercial and financing expertise to the wider Belltown Power UK team.

Prior to Belltown, James worked for Accenture and has a BA in European Social and Political Studies and an MSc in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment, both from University College London.

Joel Hutchinson

Chief Development Officer

Joel is the Chief Development Officer at Belltown Power UK and leads our on-the-ground development activities in the UK.

Joel joined Belltown in 2014. His initial focus was on the delivery of Belltown’s pipeline of ROC and CfD onshore wind and solar assets, ensuring projects were completed on time, under budget, and met the required quality standards. Since 2019 Joel has been focused on developing new unsubsidized onshore wind projects, specialising in managing the community engagement and planning process. Joel has been in the renewables industry since 2008, with previous roles including the development of GW-scale offshore wind farms at RWE Innogy and the engineering of biogas energy systems in rural, developing communities in India.

Joel has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Wind Turbine Blade Design and Manufacture, both from the University of Nottingham.

Lawrence Cox

LDevelopment Manager

Lawrence is a Lead Development Manager for Belltown Power UK

Lawrence has been with Belltown since 2017. Prior to this, he worked for DNV in the UK and India, consulting on a wide range of renewable energy projects. He has worked across the full lifecycle of wind energy projects and oversaw the management of Belltown’s large operational wind assets. Previously involved in the development of Belltown’s greenfield onshore wind projects, Lawrence now heads up the team focused on onshore wind repowering projects in the UK.

Lawrence has an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bristol and is a Chartered Engineer.

Louis Kirkup

Development Manager

Louis is a Development Manager for Belltown Power UK with a focus on our Welsh project pipeline. He has an MEng in Civil Engineering from the University of Sheffield and since graduating has accrued 5 years of experience in the renewable energy sector. Prior to Belltown, he worked for SunGift Energy, designing renewable energy systems at residential and commercial scales.

Max Hale

Accounts & Development Assistant

Max is our Accounts and Development Assistant at Belltown Power UK. He joined in February 2022 through the Kickstart scheme as an Admin Assistant, then he decided to pursue his interest in accounting and renewable energy with a full-time role in May 2023. At Belltown, Max supports the wider team, including the Belltown Farms and Belltown USA team, in a wide variety of tasks and has cultivated a set of skills whilst studying to become a chartered accountant. Max is always keen to pick up new skills, with a personal interest in music and reading, he continues to support the team in their day-to-day activities

Megan McNeill

Development Manager

Bio to follow.

Michael Kaplan

Founder & Director

Prior to Belltown, Michael was a partner at Albion Ventures LLP. Between 2009 and 2013 Michael helped to establish Albion as one of the pioneering investors in the UK’s community-scale renewable energy sector. Prior to Albion, Michael worked at The Boston Consulting Group and before that, the Chief Financial Officer of Widevine Technologies, a security software company (sold to Google in 2010). Michael has a BA from the University of Washington and an MBA from INSEAD.

Nhung Tran

Head of Finance

Nhungi is the Head of Finance for Belltown Power UK, and she manages the finance and HR related activities for Belltown UK and its subsidiaries. She has been working in the renewables energy sector since 2014 and joined Belltown’s asset management team as a Finance Manager in 2016, where her initial focus was on the delivery of financial services for the operational investor portfolios in the UK. Since 2020, Nhungi is responsible for the finance functions for the new development projects in the UK. Prior to Belltown, Nhungi was a Financial Analyst at Lightsource Renewable Energy, where she was assessing the financial performance of various renewable energy project portfolios. Nhungi completed a BA in Finance and Accounting, as well as an MSc in Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship, and then qualified as an ACCA Chartered Accountant in less than two years.

Paul Hewett

CEO, Belltown Power UK

Paul is CEO of Belltown Power UK and heads up all of Belltown’s new UK activities.

Paul has been at Belltown since its foundation in 2013. He acted initially as an Investment Director leading investments across wind, solar and hydro, then for two years as Managing Director of the group and since 2020 as CEO of Belltown Power UK, fully focussed on developing new projects across the UK and Europe. Paul has built experience across multiple technologies, multiple geographies, and across the full renewable energy project lifecycle.

Prior to Belltown, Paul worked at the Boston Consulting Group, primarily in the Private Equity and Energy practice areas. Paul holds an MBA from Berkeley-Haas School of Business, graduating with honors, and an MA in Mathematics from The University of Edinburgh, graduating top of the class.

Peter Thomas

Technical Director

Pete is a Senior Development Manager for Belltown Power UK and leads on all of the technical and construction aspects of our projects.

Pete has been with Belltown for 6 years and lead the construction team that delivered Belltown’s portfolio of over 200MW of government-supported wind, solar and hydro in the UK. Since 2019 Pete has been focused on the development of new unsubsidized onshore wind projects in the UK, with a particular specialty in grid access and technical design. Pete has 15 years of experience in the renewable energy industry having previously worked for 9 years at DNV-GL where he provided technical and project management services for wind and solar energy projects in the UK and other major global markets.

Pete is a Chartered Engineer and has an MEng in Aerospace Engineering from Liverpool University.

Ruth Luckins

Junior Development Manager

Ruth is a Junior Development Manager at Belltown Power, supporting the wider team across onshore wind projects with a particular focus on our Welsh sites.

With seven years of experience in project management roles within the performing arts, Ruth joins Belltown having completed an MSc in Climate Change: Science, Environment, and Policy from King’s College London and a Post Graduate Diploma in Global Development Challenges from the University of Edinburgh.

Simon Smith

Head of Systems and Software

Simon is a Chartered Engineer with expertise in renewable energy analytics and tool development. Prior to joining Belltown, Simon worked at DNV GL leading algorithm development on their wind digital twin service. He has extensive experience in performance analysis, optimisation, and energy yield assessments for operational wind and solar projects both in Europe and North America; wind and solar short-term power forecasts; and tidal energy resource assessments. Simon is responsible for IT systems and data collection site measurement campaigns. Simon has an MEng in Engineering Design from Bristol University.

Steve Hayes

Senior Grid Manager

Steve joined Belltown Power as the Senior Grid Manager in January 2022 and is focused on the grid connection requirements for our unsubsidised Solar, onshore Wind and Storage development pipeline across the UK. Steve has over 30 years of experience in the Electricity Utilities Sector and brings a comprehensive knowledge of Electricity Transmission and Distribution having held several senior roles across Regulatory Business Plan Development, Asset Management, Project Development, Design and Delivery as well as Leading roles in Transmission Infrastructure Development within Join Venture organisations.

Tom Hill-Norton

Founder and Director

Tom has been investing in renewable energy projects since the end of 2006. Prior to Belltown he raised and invested a series of renewable energy funds for Guinness Asset Management and worked with the energy investment team at Actis on renewable energy investments in emerging markets. Prior to 2006, Tom worked in corporate finance (with JP Morgan, Flemings, and Fredericks Michael) and strategy consultancy with The Boston Consulting Group. Tom has an MA (Hons) from The University of Edinburgh and an MBA from INSEAD.

Tom Roberts

Senior Associate

Tom is a Senior Associate in the transaction team having joined Belltown in 2014 as an intern. His role includes origination, valuation, and transaction management through acquisition, financing, and exit. He has now worked on over 2GW of deals across technologies (onshore and offshore wind, solar, storage) and geographies (UK, Europe, and the US). At Belltown, Tom is responsible for financial, market, and regulatory analysis. Prior to Belltown, Tom studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, receiving a BA (Hons) and MSci.

William Primarolo

Development Manager

At Belltown, Bill is a Development Manager focusing on our onshore wind project pipeline. Bill is a physics graduate from the University of Bristol with 5 years of experience in the renewable energy sector who previously oversaw the asset management of Belltown’s large operational wind assets. He is now focused on developing new unsubsidized onshore wind projects in the UK and performs a supporting role in grid management to the wider team.

William Rupp

Junior Development Manager

Will is a Junior Development Manager focusing on onshore wind projects in Scotland and England, within both greenfield and repowering developments.

Will graduated the University of Manchester with a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on renewable energy. Since then, Will has had 4 years’ experience in renewable energy engineering. As a researcher in offshore wind energy, designing electronic sensors for hydrogen fuel cells, working on green hydrogen projects and as a design engineer.

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