Local energy market expertise, global relationship network Dedicated to project delivery and operation, and generate positive outcomes for all stakeholders
Francis IpFounder & Chief Executive Officer
"We have an opportunity to do energy transition right"
Francis Ip has 20 years of experience developing and financing large scale infrastructure and utility projects across Asia Pacific. He is the founder of BLT Energy and is responsible for the overall management of the business.
Francis began his career at Macquarie Capital’s infrastructure team in Sydney in 2005. As a core team member on some of the largest infrastructure transactions seen in Australia, he developed his skill set very early on building and managing both greenfield and brownfield assets. Joined J.P. Morgan in 2011 in Hong Kong and continued to advise Asia-based corporate clients in the energy space on financing and mergers & acquisitions activities. He has completed over USD 35 billion worth of transactions throughout his investment banking career.
He has been building real asset platforms since 2015 across Asia as the Chief Investment Officer of a preeminent Hong Kong-based family office. He has successfully grown and institutionalised a number of newly created development platforms. Notable achievements during his tenure include the formation of a joint venture with Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (“MIRA”) co-developing logistics warehouses in China, and the establishment of an internally managed Cayman Islands fund vehicle for a commercial real estate development portfolio in Japan.
Driven by a desire to contribute meaningfully to address the issue of climate change, in early 2023 he founded BLT Energy with the aim to develop utility scale clean energy projects in Western Australia, the place where he grew up.
Francis holds a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Western Australia.
Sam PiantadosiChief Financial Officer
"A Battery led transition… means more energy, to more people, more often."
Sam Piantadosi has 20 years’ experience in corporate finance, accounting and operations, covering financial services, retail, logistics, trade and construction.
He began his career at Macquarie Capital in 2005 in the same class as founder Francis Ip. Over four years in Sydney and Perth, he advised on circa $8 billion in transactions in mergers & acquisitions and equity capital markets for financial services, mining services and resources clients.
Following Macquarie, Sam joined one of West Australia’s most acquisitive businesses, ASX listed automotive retail and logistics provider AHG Limited. Serving in an in-house advisory capacity he executed 35 acquisitions, project managing their integration into the group; plus multiple real estate developments including warehouses and cold storage facilities.
In the last five years Sam has focussed on private and start-up companies as a CFO and COO, restructuring and realigning business models, implementing systems and processes and raising capital to position them for growth.
Motivated by the need to mitigate climate change and modernise the Western Australian economy, Sam brings his execution focus to ensure the success of BLT.
Sam is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia.
Mina IpDirector - Corporate Development
"Building a brighter future for generations to come."
Mina has over 16 years of experience across transaction execution, structuring, valuation, fundraising, financial modelling and corporate strategy. She is the Director of Corporate Development of BLT Energy and is responsible for fundraising, investor relations, financial valuation, tax / accounting structuring, along with being the lead on local community and Aboriginal engagement programs.
Mina has held senior positions in investment banks and early-stage companies where she developed skills and accumulated experience in transaction execution and project management to support the development of energy projects and fundraising. She started her career in Macquarie Capital in Hong Kong in 2009, where she worked on energy / utility / infrastructure capital market transactions. She then moved on to BNP Paribas where she was a Director, focused on cross-border merger and acquisitions and in 2021, took on the Chief Corporate Development Officer role at a licensed fintech company in Southeast Asia where she led investor relations together with the founder, securing over US$50 million in Series B and B+ funding. During her career in investment banking, she completed mergers and acquisitions and initial public offering transactions for over US$5.5 billion.
Mina's commitment to community engagement stems from her days in Sydney Girls High School, where she developed a deep respect for multiculturalism and gained understanding of the history and significance of Aboriginal communities.
At BLT Energy, Mina is dedicated to not only driving energy transition through project development but also ensuring that Traditional Owners and local community benefit. She aims to build meaningful partnerships with Traditional Owners, integrating community values and perspectives into project planning and execution.
Mina holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales.
Neil FinneyDirector - Procurement & Project
"Let’s charge ahead towards a better cleaner grid for WA."
Neil has over 18 years of experience in project management, engineering and procurement in both Australia and China. He is the Director of Procurement & Project of BLT Energy, responsible for delivering quality projects that are timely and utilise the most suitable proven technologies worldwide.
His first professional role after graduating from UWA was in Shanghai, working for a top global semiconductor company. There he worked inside and alongside tier one contract manufacturing facilities deploying battery power management unit chips in mobile products for Apple, Samsung, Motorola and others.
Since then, Neil has developed a unique breadth of experience in project delivery as he has driven projects from design through to procurement and on to construction. His approach to procurement comes with his enthusiasm for researching deep knowledge about supplier capabilities, enhanced by his ability to speak directly with engineers in Mandarin at a technical level.
Back home, Neil also has substantial traditional energy and resources industry project experience in Australia, with the development of engineering packages, project management and construction management to local requirements.
Neil joined BLT Energy in mid 2023 to explore how the best technology available globally could be implemented locally to bring a clean energy future for Western Australia. He is driven by the desire to do things in a cleaner, more efficient, and better way.
Neil holds a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (First Class Honours) and Bachelor of Science, Physics (First Class Honours) from the University of Western Australia, and competed his MBA at the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing in 2016.
William StreetDirector - Energy Markets
"Our energy future is shaped by the actions we do today."
William Street has over 19 years commercial and regulatory experience in the energy sector. He has a deep understanding of commercial strategy, market trading and portfolio management, energy market design, market analytics, energy settlements and trading operations. He is the Director of Energy Markets of BLT Energy, responsible for managing Wholesale Electricity Market rules in relation to BLT Energy’s projects, facilitating successful outcomes on grid connection and leading the implementation of day-to-day operations of BLT Energy’s renewable energy projects.
His energy experience has spanned across government, consulting, energy exchanges and energy retailers. William’s broader energy experience spans across greenfield utility scale project development, energy contracting, portfolio optimisation and energy market trading. William’s work has also involved the development of market analytics and business intelligence platforms for strategic commercial decision making, compliance and settlement.
William has previously held senior roles in management, commercial, operational, and analytical positions within both major energy exchanges and independent power producers within Australia. He has presented at international conferences on market compliance and energy trading and is member of the Australian Institute of Energy.
He has joined BLT Energy to make a meaningful and tangible contribution to the energy transition in Western Australia. His personal mission is to facilitate the development and operation of energy projects which support the transition to a cleaner energy future and support the achievement of net zero emissions by 2050 in WA.
William holds a Bachelor of Computer and Mathematical Science from the University of Western Australia.
Harry StreetDirector - Commercial
"Together we will power through the energy transition."
Harry Street has over 17 years of experience in the energy industry in Australia. Harry’s core strengths are focused on the wholesale and retail operations of independent power producers and energy retailers within electricity and gas markets. He is the Director of Commercial of BLT Energy, responsible for grid connection matters, and all aspects of project level commercial matters including power purchase agreement procurement and structuring, business model optimization and ongoing performance monitoring for BLT Energy’s renewable projects, and leading the company’s discussions with relevant government authorities.
He has extensive experience in retail energy and procurement sectors, greenfield renewable project delivery, portfolio optimisation and market trading, information system implementation, commercial analytics, compliance and business intelligence.
Harry has also led multiple projects to implementation, including energy retail billing systems, energy trading platforms and market settlement systems. Harry has worked in energy market design, market rules and procedure development as a part of both the regulator and as a market participant.
He has held senior roles in management, commercial, operations and analytics at several independent power producers, retailers and energy exchanges within Australia and is a member of the Australian Institute of Energy.
Harry looks forward to contributing to the success of BLT Energy by ensuring our energy solutions support the Western Australian energy transition that will ultimately benefit the state for future generations to come. Harry is excited to use the knowledge he has gained in his career to contribute to the development of new energy assets in WA that will ultimately drive our operation to a more sustainable energy future for WA.
Harry holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University.