About Us

Damian Bettles is the regional manager for Canada/North America. Damian has been with DP Energy since 2012. During that time he has led on a number of strategic projects in Europe and Canada. Damian is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET) and has more than 15 years experience of delivering major projects across a broad range of sectors. From transport and infrastructure, to commercial, retail, healthcare and industrial, Damian has experience of working with a variety of clients that include government and IFI funded work, investment funds, bluechip companies and individual private investors. With a background in engineering consultancy and design, build and operational contracting Damian has a good knowledge of all aspects of the project lifecycle from conception through to commissioning and operation.

Catherine Way is the Director and Country Manager of DP Energy Australia. Her deep understanding of the complexity of the Australian market has been pivotal in her role with DP Energy, whose successful projects include the $500 million Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park hybrid wind and solar project which began construction in 2020. She has Masters degrees in both Business Administration and Environmental Management, qualifications in company directorship and leadership, and regularly shares her insight into the issues impacting the Australian renewable energy sector at conferences and events.

A Chartered engineer who has worked in the power generation industry for both conventional and renewable plant for some 35 years: Blair Marnie spent 15 years in engineering and Project Management in new product development at the now Siemens Gas Turbine facility in Lincoln with a subsequent 20 years of renewable energy development experience with DP. Blair has significant experience in identifying, consenting and managing large scale renewable projects. He is currently leading on the origination of new sites and opportunities in Australia having supported the Australia development team for the past 10 years.

Marie joins from Nordex Acciona Windpower where she was Regional Head of Legal North Europe and North America. She is not new to development or DP Energy, as she was Head of Legal at Irish developer SWS Natural Resources between 2003 and 2010, where she first met Maureen and Simon De Pietro. She has extensive experience in all phases of project development, from the perspective of both developer and OEM, including investment and project finance and drafting and negotiating all project related agreements in various jurisdictions. Her time with Nordex Acciona Windpower has given her valuable insight into the design and engineering process, and various industry driven cost of energy initiatives. She originally trained and qualified as a Solicitor in the City, London before moving to Cork with her family in 2003. She is also qualified as an Irish Solicitor.

Marie qualified as an accountant with The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA) in 2005. On qualification Marie continued to work in practice for a further nine years until joining DP Energy in 2014. In practice Marie specialised in Auditing and Financial Reporting. Marie’s client base included a number of companies in the renewable energy sector. Working closely with these clients motivated Marie to make the move from practice to industry. Initially working in a financial accountant and controller role, Marie’s role has evolved to include all elements of the companies financial management and supporting project financing.

Sara joined DP Energy in January 2016 as part of the Science Foundation Ireland Industrial Fellowship Programme on a part-time basis. She joined the team on a full time basis in January 2018. She holds a BE in Electronic Engineering, and PhD in Photovoltaics from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Subsequent research roles included ocean energy power system modelling tools, power take off testing and design, and electrical design for combined offshore wind and wave platforms. Sara is the author of numerous research papers in peer-reviewed journals, European FP7 and Horizon 2020 technical reports and international conferences. Sara is responsible for leading on all grid studies for the various DP Energy renewable energy projects globally.

Jenny is DP Energy Australia’s Administration Officer who has a strong accounting and administrative background spanning over 20 years. During her varied international career Jenny has been involved in the banking, hospitality, construction, real estate, and retirement industries. Well-honed organizational skills, coupled with a meticulous attention to detail ensure the smooth operation of the Australian office. In addition to managing the full administration function of the Australian office, Jenny is also legal assistant to the Head of Legal providing support in relation to all legal agreements, managing landowner options and leases, reviewing land agreements and keeping databases of contracts etc.

Joseph’s remit is project manager of Irish onshore wind and energy storage. He joined DP Energy in September 2016. Before joining DP Energy, Joseph was part of the H2020 MARIBE project team, which looked at unlocking investment opportunities for the Blue Economy within the European Union. He is also undergoing a PhD within University College Cork (completion due June 2020), which looks at optimisation methods for sizing battery energy storage systems. He holds a Master of Science in Marine Renewable Energy from UCC which focused on the challenges faced by marine energy companies, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. His areas of expertise include: Deep Reinforcement Learning applied to optimisation tasks, Multi-Objective Optimisation, Stochastic Optimisation, Neural Network Training for Optimisation, Technical Economic Modelling for project appraisal, Business Model analysis and development, Real Option Analysis for incorporating flexibility in projects, Project Management. He has published papers on sizing of battery energy storage systems for microgrids and transmission grids. Within DP Energy, Joseph’s primary responsibility is Irish onshore wind and energy storage while also supporting other projects from a project development position..

Chartered Surveyor with an extensive background in Canada, the Caribbean and Ireland in the identification and management of property development opportunities, spanning a period of three decades, working with or consulting to PLC’s including Wimpey Taylor and Balfour Beatty.

John also holds a Property Services Licence issued by the Irish State to engage in real property appraisals, sales and lettings and has served as both Member and later Division Chairman of the Irish statutory body, the Valuation Tribunal for thirteen years.

With a formal business education taken at the University of Limerick and holder of both undergraduate and a Master’s degree, John is also an accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Fellow of both the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

John has a long association with the DP Energy Group and serves as the Commercial Director of the Group’s Canadian ventures.

Agnieszka completed a MEngSc in Environmental Engineering from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Poland. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Energy and a Higher Diploma in Geographic Information Systems from the University College Cork. Agnieszka participated in Ad Valorem Property Tax Impact Analysis commissioned by the Department of Local Taxes and Cadastre of the Ministry of Finance in Poland. She has 14 years of experience in geodata analysis and is an experienced researcher with professional knowledge of renewable energy technologies and their environmental impacts. With DP Energy, Agnieszka’s responsibility is to support applications for planning for various energy projects and support site identification and selection using advanced multi-criteria GIS analysis. She also conducts an initial analysis for wind resource and energy yield, project capacities, and turbine layout.

Sarah is the project manager for the Uisce Tapa Project in Canada. Prior to joining the renewable (tidal) energy sector, she worked in the marine sector, primarily in marine systems engineering and shipbuilding. With over a decade of experience overseeing technical and project management aspects of large scale, complex projects, Sarah has worked on some of the highest-profile projects for both the US and Canadian Navies.

Luke joined DP Energy Australia in January 2017 after graduating with a Mechanical Engineering degree (first class honours). With 3 years of experience with DP Energy Luke has honed his professional skills on DP Energy’s pipeline of renewable energy projects. Luke now supports the Project Manager for all of the Australian projects on the technical elements including site surveys, design, modelling, stakeholder engagement, GIS management, and IT services. Luke is able to dynamically switch between the office environment and intensive site surveys with ease to provide technical project support where needed.

Patricia qualified as an accountant with The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland (CPA) in 2008. On qualification Patricia worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a further nine years until joining DP Energy in 2017. Patricia provides support to the Finance team and maintains the day to day financial transactions within the Company.

Gabrielle began with DP Energy as a project officer and now manages project consenting for all of DP Energy’s Australian projects. As Consents Manager, she is the consenting lead for DP Energy Australia’s large-scale renewable energy projects. This role centers on development application coordination and preparation, including stakeholder and community engagement, and specialist consultant coordination. Gabrielle holds a Bachelor of Arts from James Cook University and was awarded both the Academic Medal (Bachelor Coursework) and the W.T. (Bill) Johnston memorial prize.

Yvonne holds a Degree in Computer Science and a Degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography. Yvonne also holds a Masters by Research in Environmental Science. As part of University College Cork’s multidisciplinary industry lead project EirWind, Yvonne undertook Ireland’s first national survey of public perception of offshore wind farms in Ireland. With a strong background in project management, technical sales and Marine Analysis Yvonne joins DP Energy as Community and Stakeholder Liaison Manager working on all aspects of public and community engagement for DP Energy’s Irish renewable projects.

After graduating with an MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments in 2017, Kimberley worked as a Research Assistant for the UCC Marine Geology Research Group. During this time, she provided support to PIs for several projects, took part in offshore surveys and was a key part of developing novel ‘lander’ systems for deployment. Having completed courses in Research Integrity, Project Management and Assertive Communication Skills she went on to develop her experience further as a Project Officer in Cork Institute of Technology. This role focused on financial reporting, budgeting and audit preparation for projects. Kimberley leads DP Energy's cross platform communications requirements as well as co-ordination of the offshore wind programme, while also providing support to the Project Managers and team members of the offshore team.

Edwina White is the Consenting and Environment Manager for DP Energy’s Offshore Ireland portfolio. Edwina joined DP Energy in 2020 with more than 10 year’s global experience in the renewable energy industry. Edwina is a chartered Environmental Scientist (C.Env) with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and is highly experienced in environmental appraisal having developed Environmental Impact Assessment Reports from both developer-side and consultant-side. Edwina is skilled in project management having led the development of wind and solar projects in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Chile, South Africa and in Asia. Her areas of expertise also encompass land contract negotiation and stakeholder management. Edwina has also specialised in the development and implementation of Project Controls aligned with Project Management Institute (PMI) principles as well as in the development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems aligning with ISO 14001.

Adam Cronin is the Head of Offshore for DP Energy’s Irish Offshore team. Adam leads the offshore team in the delivery of the company's offshore renewable development brief in Ireland and provides technical advice across the group and internationally. A Chartered Civil Engineer and Certified Project Manager, Adam holds an M.Sc. in Environmental Civil Engineering and a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering. He also holds post graduate diplomas in project management and GIS. Adam is a member of Engineers Ireland, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Project Management and PIANC. Adam has significant experience leading teams in the design, consenting and development of marine and offshore projects, including offshore energy, subsea cabling, dredging and port and harbour developments supporting the offshore renewable sector. Having worked in private practice and for the consenting authorities, Adam has a unique understanding and knowledge of the regulation and consenting processes for offshore and nearshore developments.

Bethan Simes has joined DP Energy as our Project Development Manager for the UK and New Markets and is based in our Pembroke Dock office. Bethan was previously Project Manager for Marine Energy Wales (MEW), the industry led stakeholder group representing the wave, tidal and floating offshore wind industries in Wales. MEW brings together technology developers, regulators, funders, test centres, wider sectoral alliances, the supply chain, academia and the public sector to establish Wales as a global leader in sustainable emerging offshore renewable generation. With over six years project management experience, Bethan supported the delivery of the Marine Energy Test Area (META) Project; Wales’ National marine energy test centre, from initial project development through to operational status. During her time on this project Bethan managed the consent and license applications, secured a Crown Estate Lease and developed strong stakeholder relationships in the region.

Shane McCarthy has joined DP Energy as our Technical and Engineering Manager. Shane is a qualified Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineer who has worked almost exclusively in the marine sphere since qualifying in 2006. He is a Chartered Engineer, registered with Engineers Ireland and holds a post graduate certificate in Coastal Engineering. Shane has 16 years’ experience in marine civil engineering project management, design, consenting, procurement, and construction. Shane is highly experienced in providing engineering design for consenting applications such as planning permissions, foreshore consenting, dumping at sea consents and aquaculture licensing. He has managed project risk and has undertaken the role of Project Supervisor Design Process (PSDP). Shane is adept at the procurement and management of service providers and contractors for a wide range of projects. Shane’s previous experience also includes managing a consultant’s marine division, and he is a former Department of Marine engineer. Shane’s primary role with DP Energy is managing the delivery for the Irish Offshore engineering design.

Lisa Enright has joined DP Energy as our Stakeholder and Community Liaison Lead for our onshore portfolio. Lisa graduated with a Diploma in Public Relations and Marketing and has over 20 years’ experience in public relations, regulatory affairs, sales and marketing. Prior to joining DP Energy, Lisa worked in Sales and Marketing for the Equine Industry and a number of leading pharmaceutical companies. With a strong background in people management and communications, Lisa brings a wealth of stakeholder engagement and community liaison experience from a variety of sectors and will lead all aspects of stakeholder and community engagement for our onshore portfolio.

Ffion Wright has joined DP Energy as our Stakeholder and Communications Manager for the UK and New Markets and is based in our Pembroke Dock office. Ffion brings to the team over 25 years of marketing and communications expertise in the IT, Energy and Social Enterprise sectors. Most recently, Ffion worked with a marine energy technology developer raising the international profile of the organisation whilst supporting project delivery and product commercialisation. In addition to facilitating positive stakeholder engagement with political leaders, key influencers and important community groups, Ffion led a program of STEP initiatives to help educate and inspire the next generation of renewable energy pioneers. Ffion will focus on the development of DP Energy's Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind activity and is excited to again be working for a company that is investing in the development of a new green energy industry in West Wales. Ffion will also be supporting the growth of new market initiatives in the UK and overseas.

Lee Watt has joined DP Energy as our Project Manager for the UK and New Markets and will primarily be working on our Floating Offshore wind projects based out of our Pembroke Dock office. Prior to joining DP Energy, Lee was with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for almost 15 years, most of that as a Senior Project Manager working in the onshore business unit. Lee brings to the team a wealth of experience not only having worked on a variety of projects throughout North Europe and the Middle East for SGRE but also due to his length of service, he gained full cycle, wind farm development experience on some of these projects. Lee also has a BSc in Coastal Zone Management and an MSc in Renewable Energy and Resource Management where his thesis papers were on tidal and wave energy respectively.

Caoimhe has joined DP Energy as a Project Engineer for DP Energy's Irish Offshore portfolio. Caoimhe graduated with a B.Sc. in Geology and went on to complete a M.Sc. in Applied Environmental Geology from University College Cork. Since graduating Caoimhe has worked in an Engineering Consultancy for nearly three years on a wide variety projects where ground engineering was a key player including site investigations, geohazard assessments, EIARs and Due Diligence. She is also a member in training with the Institute of Geologists of Ireland. Caoimhe now supports the Technical and Engineering Manager in the delivery of the Irish Offshore engineering design.

Jeffrey has joined DP Energy as Principal Grid Engineer for DP Energy's Irish Offshore portfolio. With over 10 years experience working in Network Planning, Asset Strategy and Operations, Jeffrey holds his chartership with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), where he serves as an IET Ireland committee member. He holds a Cert in Asset Management, a Dip in Project Management, a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, an MEngSc in Electronic Engineering and a PhD in Engineering (Power Supply on Chip). Jeffrey has authored numerous international peer reviewed journal papers, a book chapter and has been part of a successful technology transfer from the Tyndall National Institute to a major multinational. As Principal Grid Engineer with DP Jeffrey is involved in the development of a portfolio of renewable energy projects across various countries. Activities include, amongst others, preparation of grid connection applications, consideration of grid code/functional specification compliance, onshore and offshore substation configurations, onshore and offshore cabling systems, electrical power system studies, etc.

Jaime has joined DP Energy as Engineering Manager for the UK and New Markets and is based in our Pembroke Dock office. Jaime has a degree in Civil Engineering and is an Incorporated Member of the Institute of Civil Engineers. He has worked on a wide variety of major infrastructure and construction projects as Senior Project Manager from conception to completion. Whilst working for Tidal Lagoon Power on the Swansea Bay project, Jaime was involved with both the marine and land based packages, working closely with the consenting and planning teams to discharge conditions. Having previously worked with a variety of clients, Jaime brings to the team a wealth of experience in the challenges faced by developing major projects, procurement, programming and contract awarding. With a passion for the marine environment, Jaime is delighted to be able to focus his energies into works that he truly believes in.

Gavin has joined DP Energy as Environment Project Manager for DP Energy's Irish Offshore portfolio. Gavin graduated with a B.Sc. in Zoology and went on to complete a PhD. in Zoology from University College Cork. Gavin’s PhD was funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), designing best practice guidelines for various seabird survey methodologies. Over the last 10 years, Gavin has worked in a number of consultancy and academic roles spanning various terrestrial and marine projects. Gavin has authored several internationally peer reviewed publications and technical reports. Before joining DP, Gavin was the lead ecologist assisting in the design of a Digital Aerial Survey workflow with an Irish data acquisition company. Gavin is currently undertaking an Advanced Diploma in Planning and Environmental Law from Kings Inns. Gavin supports the Consenting and Environment Manager in the delivery of the Irish Offshore Environmental Impact Assessment Reports.

Charlie has joined DP Energy as Project Coordinator and Market Analyst for the UK and New Markets team based in Pembroke Dock. Charlie has broad marine science background studying a BSc Surf Science and Technology, and going on to complete an MSc in Hydrography, both at Plymouth University. His professional experience includes offshore surveying on a number of oil and gas, and renewable energy projects across Europe. He holds a Prince2 Project Management Foundation Certificate and is currently working towards becoming a Prince2 Practioner. As a Market Analyst, Charlie will be supporting the New Markets team, looking for opportunities to develop DP Energy's growing pipeline of renewable energy projects. In addition to this, his role as project coordinator will see Charlie supporting the progress and development of various existing DP Energy projects.

John has joined DP Energy as Land Manager for DP Energy's Irish Offshore portfolio. John graduated with Honours from UCC with a degree in Environmental Sciences in 2008 and worked for more than a decade in onshore renewables across various projects and roles in the UK and Ireland. John’s experience ranges from the very early stages of development, all the way through to project construction and wind farm energisation. A key component of John’s work has always been managing relationships with landowners and stakeholders, while also bringing strong experience in the site selection and procurement processes.

Chris has joined DP Energy as Head of Development for the UK and New Markets team based in Pembroke Dock. Chris is a Chartered Civil Engineer with 30 years’ experience delivering engineering and renewable energy projects including marine and coastal works. His experience encompasses all aspects of project development, including environmental and planning procedures, procurement and financial assessment. Chris started work on renewable energy projects in 1995 designing hydropower projects including the UK’s largest low head hydro project at Beeston Weir on the River Trent. He spent two years with the Environment Agency’s National Capital Programme Management Team responsible for several capital projects including the 32km Sea Defence scheme to protect the Caldicot Levels in south Wales. In 2002 Chris joined United Utilities and was appointed Project Manager to the Joint Venture between UU and Energi E2 (now Orsted) for the Scarweather Sands Offshore Wind Farm in Swansea Bay. In 2004 Chris joined Eco2 Ltd managing the portfolio of wind farms in Wales and Scotland. This included developing the 50MW Mynydd y Betws Wind Farm which was granted permission following a Public Inquiry in 2008. In 2007 Chris became the Development Director for Tidal Energy Ltd and was instrumental in the development of DeltaStream technology and the test site at Ramsey Sound which was completed in 2016. More recently Chris has worked as a consultant to several marine energy companies including Wavepower, Inyanga and Tocardo. In 2017 Chris became the Commercial Manager at Bombora Wave Power, securing £13.5m of grant to build a prototype 1.5MW wave energy converter. Chris joined DP Energy in March 2021 and brings his broad range of experience developing commercial sites to enable DP Energy to develop projects that can deliver commercial renewable energy with minimal environmental impact. Chris is on the board of the UK Marine Energy Council and Advisory Board to Marine Energy Wales.

Alex has joined DP Energy as Head of Approvals for DP Energy Australia. Alex has extensive experience delivering a range of complex projects from inception to operation, leading collaborative approaches with stakeholders and the community to deliver positive outcomes. He has broad and varied experience, working on projects in all states and territories overseeing site acquisitions, community and stakeholder engagement, planning and environmental approvals, grid connection approvals, preconstruction, tendering and commercial negotiations. Alex is qualified town planner and a Member of the Planning Institute of Australia.

Gabby has joined DP Energy as Administration & Co-ordination Officer. A motivated and resourceful senior administrator, Gabby graduated from University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Arts and more recently has completed a certification in Human Resources. After several years of working and gaining experience in Human Resource in both the public and private sectors, Gabby moved to Ireland and worked for University College Cork. There Gabby, served a variety of roles in marketing, recruiting, administration and content development. Gabby will support the Communications and Co-ordination manager on DP Energy's cross platform communications requirements as well as the co-ordination of the offshore wind programme while providing support to the wider team.

Jack has joined the DP Energy Australia team as Environment and Development Manager. Jack successfully graduated the University of Wollongong with a Bachelor of Environmental Science Advanced - Honours Class 1, in 2015. Since graduating, Jack has worked across several major infrastructure projects within NSW in both the Public and Private sector. Leading the development of environmental planning approval documentation and obtaining development consent for these projects. At DP Energy Australia, Jack will be focused on obtaining planning approvals for large-scale renewable energy projects with a focus on NSW.

Ben has joined the DP Energy team as IT System and Data Lead. Ben, who is a fully certified Network Engineer & IT Operations Specialist, brings with him a wealth of valuable IT experience from both private & public sectors. Ben’s knowledge and experience in the coordination and management of large-scale operations & projects within the Pharmaceutical & Medical Manufacturing industries will prove invaluable to the continuous growth and expansion of DP Energy both at home and abroad. Ben will support all team members globally as well as providing hardware and software technical support on all DP Energy projects worldwide.

Catherine has joined the DP Energy team as GIS and Environmental Analyst. After completing an MSc in Environmental Engineering at Queens University Belfast, Catherine has gained over 10 years’ experience working with both public, private and international organisations on environmental, governmental and manufacturing initiatives, including: spatial analysis and process improvement, database maintenance and enhancement, third-party management, large-scale dataset migration, contaminated land remediation, detailed hydrogeological modelling and, geophysical surveying. Catherine supports the Senior Project Engineer GIS Lead in the delivery of various energy projects.