Actis senior adviser Simon Harford is new CEO of global energy consortium GEAPP

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) appointed Simon Harford as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer while UNICEF's Ravi Venkatesan would serve as Board Chairperson. The announcement came three months after the alliance was established during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November 2021.

Harford previously served as the Senior Adviser for leading global investor Actis. He has 30 years of experience in finance and business-building. 

Talking about the appointment, Harford says, “The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet is a unique partnership model spanning the public and private sector based on deep support from major philanthropy. I strongly believe in the power of access to energy and the opportunities a cleaner energy sector brings for the environment, society, and the economy. I'm conscious of the responsibility to lead the Alliance, and want to thank all who have worked hard to set up this extraordinary platform and bring it to where it is today.”

New Chairperson Ravi Venkateshan, UNICEF’s Special Representative for Young People and Innovation, says “The Alliance will show that a coalition of committed partners and a lot of innovation can make a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions and a big leap in energy access.” 

The alliance was formed with nations eager to transition to a green economy by cutting emissions, creating150 million jobs and reducing carbon emissions by 4 billion tonnes. The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation and Bezos Earth Fund and many other financial institutions invested $10 billion of committed capital to the alliance.  

Over the next months, GEAPP would forge working relationships with governments across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, with multiple projects in line to repurpose and decommission existing fossil fuel power plants.