SESSION 4: FINANCE

Joe O'Neil

Associate Director - Investments, Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC)

Joe is Associate Director in the Investment team at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. He specialises in corporate and project financing in the waste, recycling, bioenergy and biofuels sectors. Joe has experience in corporate and project finance, direct equity investments and deal structuring, strategy and execution across a variety of sectors including renewable energy and storage, mining, property and infrastructure. Prior to joining the CEFC, Joe was a specialist financial modeller at PwC. Joe is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Law and Business from Queensland University of Technology.

John Haggett

John is a Director at PwC and has advised on infrastructure projects across Australia, Canada and the UK. This has included financial and commercial advice to government and private sector clients on energy from waste projects – including Kwinana and a closed loop organics facility in North America. He is currently advising MWRRG on the Advanced Waste Processing Project in Victoria. 

Blake Almond

Director, Henshall Capital

Blake is a Director of Henshall Capital. Henshall provides strategic, commercial and financial advice to managers of private capital, project developers and government on the EfW, green energy and social infrastructure sectors.  Blake has deep expertise in the development and financing of EfW, green energy and social infrastructure projects. He has a particular skillset in managing complex project development, arranging project capital and optimising value for pre-construction and construction stage projects – particularly in EfW.  In the last 4 years Blake has had commercial leadership roles on Australia’s first two utility scale EfW projects - the A$700m Kwinana and the A$500m East Rockingham projects - and led processes which secured A$485m in private equity capital for these and other green energy assets.

Mike Straughton