People

We are a highly motivated, dynamic team

People

We are a highly motivated, dynamic team

Our staff include professionals in project development, engineering, business development and asset management

Land

Kilian Hagemann

Kilian Hagemann

Chief Executive Officer
Dr Kilian Hagemann has been in the wind industry since 2002 when he became a board member of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA). In 2004-2007 he worked for what is now DNV-GL on wind measurements, resource assessments, flow modelling and power curve related consulting in Germany, Spain and South Africa. In 2008 he completed his PhD at the University of Cape Town by publishing the “Mesoscale Wind Atlas of South Africa” as the first comprehensive wind map covering the entire country. Since 2009 he is the co-founder and managing director of G7 Renewable Energies, a wind farm developer specialising in highly efficient wind farm projects.
Nicolas Rolland

Nicolas Rolland

Chief Operation Officer
Nicolas Rolland is a founder and director of G7. He qualified as a mechanical engineer in 1996 from the Fachhochscule Konstanz in Germany and holds an MBA from EM-Lyon in France since 2003.

Nicolas has worked in a multinational Swiss engineering company where he evolved from engineering to key account management prior to becoming an entrepreneur.

Since co-founding G7, Nicolas became a board member at the South African Wind Energy Association and helped the organization gain momentum from 2009 to 2011.

Karen de Bruyn

Karen de Bruyn

Chief Project Officer
Karen leads the dynamic G7 wind farm development team and oversees all development tasks including site selection, wind measurement campaigns, land rights acquisition, and permitting for over 1 GW of highly competitive wind energy projects in G7’s pipeline.

Since completing her undergraduate studies and a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from the University of Stellenbosch, Karen started her professional career in 2010 as an environmental consultant, and has since gained significant experience in environmental management and renewable energy development. Marrying these two, she passionately contributes to South Africa’s successful transition to a low carbon energy mix.

Clinton Carter-Brown

Clinton Carter-Brown

Chief Commercial Officer

Dr. Clinton Carter-Brown joined G7 Renewable Energies as Chief Commercial Officer in May 2022. Clinton has held senior leadership roles in the energy domain in the public and private sectors. He spent 18 years in Eskom, after which he joined the engineering consulting firm Aurecon (with a secondment to the Department of Energy IPP Office) and then the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). In 2018 Clinton was appointed as the Head of the CSIR Energy Centre where he steered the CSIR energy research agenda, managing a team of over 50 scientists and engineers. Under his leadership, the CSIR Energy Centre has played a central role in shaping and implementing the organisation’s energy research agenda and provided a knowledge base for the South African energy transition – the move towards a more sustainable and cleaner energy system in which energy is used more efficiently and sustainably.

Clinton provides specialist technical support and project, program and organizational management services in the areas of energy systems, energy modelling, utility asset management, power system simulation, electrical grid planning and design, power generation procurement and grid integration.  

Clinton is a registered professional engineer and holds PhD, MSc and BSc degrees in Electrical Engineering. He also sits on the council of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE).

 

Dustin Rebello

Dustin Rebello

Chief Financial Officer
Dustin Rebello joined G7 Renewable Renewable Energies as Financial Manager. Dustin is a Chartered Accountant registered with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and has an MCom (Taxation) from the University of Cape Town.

Dustin’s background is in Corporate Finance having worked in an advisory capacity to both the Public and Private sectors across multiple industries and countries.

What most excites Dustin about the IPP program(s) is the fact that individuals and companies, like G7, are empowered to actively work with Government to positively influence the Country’s economic and social wellbeing.

François Pigeau

François Pigeau

Engineering Manager
Francois is a project manager focused on the engineering side of wind project development. First an intern at G7 during his last year of engineering school, Francois went back to France to obtain his engineering degree and decided to move back to South Africa to carry on with wind project developing.

During his first years at G7 Renewable Energies, Francois was responsible for most of the technical parts of wind project developing. He is now the manager and the responsible of the G7 wind monitoring campaign. He is in charge of the planning and implementation of the measurement campaign, the procurement of equipment, specialists and consultants. Seen as the wind specialist at G7, he is also in charge of the analysis and filtering of wind data, that he uses for wind simulations and layouts design.

Kai Howie

Kai Howie

General Counsel
Kai is an admitted attorney working in our development team who focuses on the various legal aspects of wind farm development including land rights acquisition, regulatory compliance and the drafting of commercial agreements.
Kai read for his LLB at the University of Stellenbosch and started his legal career in 2016, first as a candidate attorney and then later as an associate in the corporate commercial department of a reputable property law firm. He has specialised experience in, amongst other areas, commercial contracting, corporate governance, property rights and commercial dispute resolution
Veronique Fyfe

Veronique Fyfe

Projects Manager

Veronique is a Project Manager specifically focused on all environmental related tasks associated with Wind Farm Development. Veronique has obtained her MSc in Environmental Conservation and Ecology from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Veronique is a collaborative & results-oriented Environmental Project Manager with a proven track record leading projects in wind energy, solar energy & transmission infrastructure. Delivered over 50 renewable energy projects ranging from small, local developments to large scale infrastructure projects. Worked with large enterprises as well as municipal and regional governments to deliver comprehensive, detailed Environmental Impact Assessments with appropriate stakeholder participation.

Jacobus Stadler

Jacobus Stadler

Site Manager
Kobus is the Site Manager that focuses on wind measurement equipment installation, commissioning and maintenance, as well as community relations. He started working overseas in 2001 and has gained a lot of experience working with small companies and larger firms where he engaged with various groups of people. He returned to South Africa in 2006 and did local contracting. He started working for G7 in 2015.

Kobus is a local farmer in the Karoo which gives him in depth knowledge of the area, social structures, and the people. He takes a lot of pride in his work and is involved with various role players and community structures. He currently forms part of the ward committee, Community Policing Forum, Agricultural Association, and Business Chambers. He is an integral part of the G7 team. Kobus works on site with Pieter.

Eddy Mokhudu

Eddy Mokhudu

Engineering and Procurement
Semakaleng Eddy Mokhudu recently completed his degree in BEng (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.  Eddy is passionate about renewable energy and believes that the youth of today can change the world of tomorrow through innovation solutions. Eddy joined G7 Renewable Energies in 2019 as an intern and subsequently joined the G7 team on a permanent basis as Project Engineer.
Ketso Molapo

Ketso Molapo

Wind Analyst and Wind Hardware
Ketso Molapo completed his studies in 2017 and obtained his BSc. Eng. Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town.
He is passionate about renewable energy. As the Wind Analyst, he performs quality assurance tasks and conducts analysis of wind data collected on G7’s sites. He carries out wind flow simulations for G7, and also provides automation solutions through continuous development of our in-house software tools.

Ketso joined G7 Renewable Energies in 2019 as an intern and subsequently joined the G7 team on a permanent basis as a Wind Analyst.

Jacobus Treurnich

Jacobus Treurnich

Land Rights Manager
Jacobus is a Project Manager focussed on the accrual of lease and land rights for Wind Farm Development. Jacobus has a B.Tech Degree in Town & Regional Planning from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Jacobus acts as a registered town and regional planner with more than a decade of planning consulting experience, specialising in securing rights for renewable energy projects. Jacobus coordinates leases, land use change processes, and manages landowner relationships with the eye on successful long term project execution.

Ruan Fourie

Ruan Fourie

Land Rights Developer
Ruan is a Land Rights Manager at G7,  specifically applying his skills to project site acquisition, obtaining community buy-in and driving these projects to permit ready status. Ruan has a N. Dip in Town and Regional Planning from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, giving him hands on experience on the intricacies of land development and project planning.

He is passionate about Renewable Energy (RE), how it can make a difference within communities and positively contribute to the addressing of global climate. With his career background rooted in telecommunication site acquisition and planning, his experience ranges from turnkey consulting services within the private sector to managing projects from start to finish. Ruan has extensive knowledge on lease negotiations and building landowner relationships for long-term infrastructure projects, which remains a key focus in driving wind energy projects to success.

Nasreen Daniels

Nasreen Daniels

Economic Development Manager
Nasreen Daniels has more than 5 years of experience in the field of Economic Development in the Renewable Energy Industry. She has worked on several large renewable energy projects in South Africa and will ensure that G7 and its projects meet and exceed its Economic Development obligations.  Prior to her career in Renewable Energy Nasreen was involved in Financial Services in various industries. She has a keen interest in ensuring that Renewable Energy projects bring about not only energy security in the country but also long term sustainable benefits to surrounding communities as a whole.
Blanche Ortlepp

Blanche Ortlepp

Office Manager
Blanche joined the team in February 2017 as Office Manager and Project Support to the team. Aside from those two key aspects of her role, Blanche also ensures that we have smooth communication with all our landowners and that procurement throughout the business is well-managed. She’s the first person most of our clients and suppliers communicate with when they contact G7 and is a vital member of the team.

With over a decade of international experience in human resources, accounts support and office management, coupled with her recent qualification in Project Management means that she contributes in all areas of the work we do at G7.

Lindsey Feldman

Lindsey Feldman

Project Engineer
Lindsey Feldman completed her studies at the University of Stellenbosch in 2020. She has a degree in BEng Mechatronic Engineering (Hons) focusing on Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering. She is passionate about clean energy and environmental matters. As a Project Engineer at G7, she is responsible for detailed wind turbine layout designs and advanced layout optimizations.

Lindsey joined G7 Renewable Energies as an intern in 2020 and joined the team on a permanent basis in 2021.

Shaun Woolward

Shaun Woolward

PV Engineering
Shaun has been in the Solar PV industry since 2012 and has travelled to Germany, India and the USA for training on Solar PV and battery energy storage systems.  He is professionally registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa and a member of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers. 

With 16 years electrical and 8 years renewable energy experience, he is well versed in the various aspects that makes up a renewable energy electrical system.

He is a project manager at G7 and is focused on the PV energy yield assessments (PV software simulations) and electrical engineering related to Solar PV and battery energy storage systems.

 

Caryn Clarke

Caryn Clarke

Environmental Project Manager
Caryn is an Environmental Project Manager at G7, responsible for environmental related tasks associated with Wind Farm Development. Caryn obtained her MSc (with distinction) in Environmental Science from Rhodes University in 2012.

With over 5 years of environmental consulting experience, Caryn has in-depth knowledge of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and other environmental permitting processes required for large scale renewable energy developments. She is passionate about sustainable and clean energy and how it can help move South Africa towards a low carbon economy.

Kobie Hyman

Kobie Hyman

Communications, PR and Office Support
Kobie is responsible for part time office support and communications at G7.

She is a specialist in strategic communications with over 20 years of experience in various fields. Kobie has a BA degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of South Africa, a Certificate in Corporate Governance from the Unisa Centre for Business Law , and a Certificate in Project Management from the Unisa School of Business Leadership.  She is passionate about protecting biodiversity and renewable energy development.

Sally Mashele

Sally Mashele

GIS Technician
Sally joined G7 in 2022 as a GIS specialist to manage the current GIS datasets for the team. Sally completed a degree in environmental science and then later obtained a degree in Geographical Information Systems (Honors) at the University of Cape Town. She has experience working as a research assistant managing spatial data and creating maps. Her interests include establishing effective and convenient methods to deal with spatial data.
Roeben Pienaar

Roeben Pienaar

Land Rights Developer
Roeben is the latest addition to the Land Rights Managers team. He is involved in project site acquisition and obtaining community buy-in, while working alongside the rest of the G7 team to bring projects to permit ready status. Roeben completed his Honors Degree in Town and Regional Planning at the University of The North West (Potchefstroom). He believes Renewable Energies (RE) alongside with innovative thinking and solutions is the key to a brighter future for South Africa.

Roeben has extensive experience as a registered Town and Regional Planner with a consulting background. He believes in building long lasting relationships with landowners and communities for the long term duration of the project.

Colette Stander

Colette Stander

Environmental Project Developer
Colette Stander joined G7 as Environmental Project Developer after a few months of internship. Colette graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2020, with a B.Com International Business (cum laude) degree and she completed her postgraduate studies in Environmental Management. (PGDip cum laude).
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Jacob Pienaar

Jacob Pienaar

Civils Engineering
Jacob Pienaar obtained a degree in civil engineering from Stellenbosch University in 2017. After a few years abroad, where he worked in the traffic and transportation engineering sector, he joined G7 in 2021 as an intern. He is passionate about renewable energy, particularly in Africa and the economic impact these projects have on the South African economy. After his 6 months internship, Jacob joined the G7 team permanently as Project Engineer.
Aubrey Lotriet

Aubrey Lotriet

Power Systems Engineer and Procurement Manager
Aubrey is an ECSA registered professional and GCC Factories certificated electrical engineer.

Aubrey brings his multi-layered experience to the G7 Team from operations & maintenance of large projects in utilities and oil and gas sectors. He will focus on all things power systems related, which includes the engineering, design, testing, commissioning, and grid integration of G7’s renewable energy power plants.

Aubrey has Masters degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering – Cum Laude graduated.
He also took part in studies with international collaboration with the University of Ghent in Belgium that focused on evaluating the opportunity of synchro phasors in monitoring the stability impacts of large-scale sources of renewable energy integrated into distribution voltage level networks.
Pieter Esterhuyse

Pieter Esterhuyse

Site Technician
Pieter is one of G7’s Site Technicians. He focuses on wind measurement equipment installation and mast maintenance. For this specific task rigorous working at heights training is needed alongside a great and maintained fitness level. The Karoo, where many of our projects are being developed, is home to Pieter.
Lyle van der Merwe

Lyle van der Merwe

Land Rights Developer

Lyle van der Merwe joined G7 as Land Rights Developer in May 2022. Lyle has many years of work experience in the Property Development field, ranging from residential to commercial.

His qualifications include a Master’s in City and Regional Planning (UCT), a BA in Development and Environment (Stellenbosch University) and Advanced Project Management (UCT).

 

Skye Clarke-Mcleod

Skye Clarke-Mcleod

Environmental Project Developer
Skye is responsible for management of permitting and environmental related tasks within the Renewable Energy Development process. She holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Management from the University of South Africa (2018) and is completing her post-grad degree in Integrated Environmental Management on a merit bursary with UNISA.

She has 3 years of environmental consulting experience working on a variety of projects including wind, solar and grid infrastructure developments which have built her working knowledge of the Environmental Impact Assessment process.

Skye supports the shift to a low carbon economy to address climate change and enable access to affordable electricity for all.

Matthew Kabot

Matthew Kabot

Project Developer

Matthew joined G7 as a project manager focusing on early-stage development. Since graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Cape Town, he gained wide experience in the power generation sector across Africa. This includes working on the construction and commissioning of the 680 MW Avon Peaking Power Plant in Kwazulu-Natal, and experience in various capacities for consulting firms in West and East Africa focusing on captive power for the mining industry and utility-scale gas projects.

He has extensive experience in executing projects in challenging environments which fostered both an understanding of the complexities of large-scale infrastructure projects as well as the challenges associated with project development in a range of different environments. From early-stage site assessment all the way through to the business end of commissioning, Matthew has gained a robust knowledge of the project development life cycle and has now shifted his focus to the development of renewable projects in the dynamic South African energy landscape.

Denise Kendall

Denise Kendall

Receptionist

Denise Kendall joined G7 as a receptionist in July 2022. Denise has a background in somatology and has several years of experience in the role of receptionist and administration. In addition to a wide range of administrative duties, she is responsible for a warm welcome to all G7 visitors, ensuring the welfare of staff and building relationships with our valued stakeholders.

Trisja Bezuidenhout

Trisja Bezuidenhout

Land Rights Developer

Trisja joined G7 as a Land Rights Developer in 2022. She has a background in land use management, site acquisition and project management, with more than 7 years of experience in the private sector. She is passionate about sustainable development and in turn how sustainable development and renewable energy intertwine.

Trisja has a BA Degree in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Pretoria and a Certificate in Project Management from the Stellenbosch Business School. Trisja is also a registered Professional Town and Regional Planner with the South African Council for Planners.

Kaylene Moodley

Kaylene Moodley

Environmental Project Developer

Kaylene Moodley joined G7 in 2022 as an Environmental Project Developer after completing her internship at a global environmental consultancy. Kaylene graduated from the University of KwaZulu- Natal, with a BSc Honours degree (with distinctions in various modules) in Environmental Science for which she was also the recipient of the South African Association of Women Graduates (SAAWG) award for
outstanding academic achievements. She is currently completing her MSc degree in Environmental Science at UKZN on a merit bursary.

Kaylene has gained practical experience within various environmental sectors including oil and gas, waste management, renewable energy as well as infrastructure and development. She has a keen interest in renewable energy, urban development and social geography.

Careers at G7

Internship Programmes:

The G7 internship program involves on-the-job training and hopefully time spent working with G7, will inspire young interns with the same passion that we have for renewable energy. Depending on specific interests and skills, G7 can offer the chance to gain unique exposure to a wide range of activities and some of the latest advances in the field of renewable energies.

We regularly take on interns, which we see as a great opportunity for future generations to develop their skills and gain significant work experience. Our internship program is aimed at undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate students, as well as people looking to change career paths. Some of them have now joined our organisation on a permanent basis.

Testimonials from Interns

Thomas Michel
Pedro Buzzanca
Kyler Bruno
Jyoti Cara
Kyle Walbeck
Justin-Lee Drexel
Tenele Dhladhla
Jean-Claude Baziruwiha
Roel van Ooij
Teboho-Nchaba
Gary Martin
Andre Troost
Milena Lazard
Salizwa Camagu
Zizo Mdingi
Lasse Ohlson
Azzedine Kimri
Jonathan Bampfield Duggan
Jacob Pienaar
Alma Messina
Lindsey Feldman
Clyde Martch
Denzel Ndhlovu
Dolly Masilela